A NEW JOY ANTICIPATED
by Linda4HIM59
Summary: Sequel to A New Love Deserved and A New Life Treasured, this story follows the Sully family through Michaela's pregnancy as they encounter excitement, fear, danger, fun, love, and laughter along the way. Old friends and new share the ride. All aboard!
1. The Joys of Pregnancy

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**A NEW JOY ANTICIPATED**

_**(Sequel to A New Love Deserved and A New Life Treasured)**_

_**By Linda Ellen**_

_**May 2011**_

**Chapter 1 – The Joys of Pregnancy**

Michaela smiled as she watched her husband and children scramble into the Escalade in the pouring rain. They had awakened to a deluge that hadn't shown any sign of slowing, and the kids didn't relish running the 100 yards down the driveway in such a downpour to catch their bus in front of the clinic, so their loving Dad had volunteered to be chauffeur for the short trip.

As lightning flashed brightly overhead, she cringed and took a step back from the window, closing her eyes and saying a short prayer for the safety of the bus and all of its passengers on the trip to school.

_This has been an extremely wet fall so far...I wonder if we're in for a bad winter... _Michaela mused. Shivering, she rubbed her arms and turned from the window, moving over to the kitchen fireplace and adding another log to the fire. She smiled again as she pictured her overly protective husband - if he were there, he would fuss at her to let _him_ do that, lovingly taking the log from her hands. Since the moment they found out she was pregnant, it seemed Sully suddenly considered her as a delicate orchid needing protection at all times.

_Sully... _

Michaela closed her eyes and let her mind wander, gently caressing him with her thoughts. _He's so wonderful...so perfect...I never thought I could be this happy..._

Just then, a shiver of fear ran through her body and she shook her head, determined to push 'bad' thoughts away.

Thinking of the night before, she determinedly aimed her mind in that direction – Sully holding her in his arms, warm and snug in their bed as rain fell softly on the roof overhead, and quietly admonishing her to think of only 'good things', not bad. As always, his touch and his words had been just what she needed to pull herself upright emotionally as her feelings seemed to seesaw.

_Nothing bad is going to happen...to me...to the baby...to Sully...to the children...to our home. Nothing! _She recited to herself as she began to straighten the kitchen from the mess of breakfast, wondering to where her normally upbeat outlook had fled..._maybe it's just the effects of being pregnant..._so far, actually _being_ pregnant was nothing like she had dreamed and imagined. She seemed to be a bundle of nerves and felt totally unlike herself in so many ways...

Holding her breath, she scraped from the skillet the remains of the scrambled eggs Sully had cooked, and placed the pan in the dishwasher, trying to take precautions against the nausea that seemed to plague her almost constantly. Remembering Sully's concerned expression at the table earlier as he watched her unable to eat yet another meal, she sighed softly and wrapped her arms around her middle, feeling the dreaded queasiness start to return.

Making her way to the downstairs bathroom, she stepped on the scale. _Another quarter of a pound gone_...that made four pounds she had lost in the fifteen days since the Halloween dance. It had been everything she could do to sit through Hannah's birthday party the night before without dashing to the bathroom, not wanting to spoil the festivities.

Turning towards the mirror over the sink, she picked up a hairbrush, determinedly pulling it through the long strands of her hair as she strove to take her mind off her stomach. She hoped this would be one of the times when her life echoed that of the first Michaela, as an entry she had read in the old journal the day before came to mind.

_**December 15, 1870**_

_**I haven't written much lately, as I've been feeling so ill. 'Morning sickness' seemed to come upon me out of nowhere once we returned from the railroad camp with Matthew. Two weeks...three...I've lost track. I can't seem to keep anything down. I haven't told Sully because I don't want to worry him as he frets over me enough as it is, but I've begun to be concerned...I've lost three pounds since I found out I'm pregnant...**_

Since that was the only entry regarding the malady, Michaela assumed that her ancestor's bout of the dreaded symptom was indeed short-lived, because she remembered reading later of strange food cravings, such as apple pie and dill pickles.

Just then she heard the front door open and close quickly, followed by her husband's wonderful voice. "Michaela?"

"In here, sweetheart," she called from the bathroom.

Turning, she watched her handsome husband drape his buckskin jacket on the back of a kitchen chair and take his boots off, then head toward her, shaking droplets of water from his hair as he walked.

"Whew! It's rainin' cats and dogs out there!" he joked, smoothing his collar length, honey brown, wavy hair back and drying his hands on his jeans. Stepping up to her, he noticed the hairbrush in her hand. Wondering if that were the only reason she was in the bathroom, he smiled softly and took her in his arms.

Breathing in his wonderful scent, Michaela sighed contentedly and wrapped her arms around his back, resting her forehead against his neck as they swayed back and forth together for a minute. Just being in his arms seemed to make her feel better all over.

Finally pulling back a bit, Sully peered into her eyes, trying to gauge the state of his wife's health, one hand smoothing a lock of her hair behind one ear.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he murmured lovingly. "You didn't eat any breakfast again...are ya feelin' sick?"

Starting to lie, but stopping herself, as she knew he would see through her ruse anyway, she nodded with a self-deprecating grin, admitting, "A little...trying to power through it though..."

Sully pressed his lips together in an almost pout, his eyes filled with sympathy for he knew just how miserable it is to be nauseous. "Can I getcha somethin'? Some of that peppermint tea maybe?"

Michaela smiled and nodded gratefully, raising a hand to gently cup his face in her palm, murmuring softly, "You take such good care of me...what did I ever do to deserve you?"

He grinned teasingly and covered her hand with one of his, turning his head to kiss her palm. "Just bein' _you_," he answered softly.

Retaining her hand, he led her out of the bathroom doorway and toward the living room. "C'mere and sit down, put your feet up," he ordered gently. "I'll get your tea and finish cleanin' the kitchen," he added as she lowered herself onto the couch and slowly raised her legs to stretch out. He leaned down to maneuver a pillow comfortably under her head, gazing at her with blue pools of liquid love while gently caressing her hair back from her face.

"It feels a little damp in here...I'll start a fire in a minute," he added. She nodded with a soft smile as she watched him make his way to the kitchen, straining to listen over the sound of the rain as he quickly put the teakettle on the burner, then moved around gathering what he needed.

"Did the kids get off alright?" she called, jumping a little at a loud clap of thunder.

"Yeah, they got a little wet, but they'll be under the canopy at school when they get off the bus, so don't be worryin' about 'em sitting in wet clothes all day," he added with a grin, knowing she would naturally project her thoughts into 'what if's' and start to fret.

Michaela chuckled softly and shook her head, placing one hand on her stomach and one against her throat as the nausea began to worsen. Sully came back into the living room, squatting down to quickly and expertly light a fire in the main fireplace. She watched his movements with pleasure; never tiring of viewing her incredibly gorgeous husband in whatever activity he happened to be engaging. Her eyes ran over his physique, the broad shoulders and firm arm muscles under his long-sleeved polo shirt, and picturing the powerful leg and thigh muscles she knew lurked under the dark jeans as he balanced on the balls of his socked feet.

Within moments the small flame grew into welcome warmth and began its work of drying the dampness from the house and warming its occupants.

As Sully rose to return to the kitchen, he glanced over at her and smiled, murmuring, "Water should be about ready to boil." Michaela returned the smile and nodded, closing her eyes with a sigh.

Her mind drifted from listening to Sully clean up the morning's breakfast dishes, to the rain and wind against the walls and roof of their home, to the cozy crackling of the fire, and finally to events in their lives since their marriage.

Smiling drowsily, images flashed in her mind of various scenes from their wonderful honeymoon, their vacation in Boston and the family trip across the country to bring the children home. She saw again their land high above from the basket of a hot air balloon, and how their home had reminded her of a Norman Rockwell painting. The scene changed to the view from 'their' mountain, seen through tears in her eyes, then closing those eyes and opening them to find the face of her sweet husband, his eyes filled with worried love. Another scene came of her husband's face, hovering above her as he skillfully and masterfully made love to her, the brightly decorated walls of an old teepee beyond his head. This thought made her smile again as she remembered it was that night when the precious child she was carrying was conceived. Sighing in pleasure, her hand resting on her stomach moved slowly in a loving caress.

Shifting slightly and breathing in through her nose in an effort to fight against the dreaded nausea, she momentarily pictured her caring husband on his knees beside her on the new bathroom's tiled floor, lovingly holding her hair and caressing her back as she retched miserably, hearing again his whispered words of encouragement and love. She knew without a doubt that if he could take the misery from her and suffer it himself, he would do it gladly. She also knew that he felt guilty that he had 'done this to her' – that it was his baby inside her making her sick at the moment.

Smiling, she concentrated again on 'good thoughts' as her loving husband admonished. Visions came of she and he with their happy, healthy children, sitting together at the dining room table eating a hearty meal as the children shared the events of their day, and many times lately, joined by their young friend, Jared Miller.

It warmed her heart to think again of how quickly the four Sully children had become inseparable, in spite of their age differences, and how wonderful a 'big brother' Matthew had become. Her eldest son had soaked up his new father's ways so thoroughly, it was a dream come true and an answer to many prayers as he had grown from a sullen fourteen year old to a bright, happy, responsible sixteen year old.

Thinking of prayers, she paused again to thank the Lord for all of the blessings He had bestowed upon her and her family since the moment she and her wonderful husband had met on that stormy summer night a year and a half before. Remembering the infamous skillet about which Sully still loved to tease her, a small smile graced her lips once again as she mused, _maybe I should hang that skillet on a wall in the bedroom next to our wedding picture..._

"Glad ta see ya smilin'," Sully's low, gentle voice interrupted her musings. Her multi-colored eyes opened to view him crouching next to her, holding a cup of hot peppermint tea in his hands.

"You want some of this?" he asked softly, eyebrows raised as he gazed into her eyes.

Nodding, she levered herself up on one elbow and clasped the handle as he turned it for her, raising the cup to her lips.

"Careful...it's hot," he murmured lovingly.

Breathing in a little of the aroma, she was immensely grateful to feel an immediate, though tiny, lessoning of the nausea. Blowing into the cup, she took a small sip, waiting a moment to see how her stomach would receive it. _So far, so good._

"Did you remember to take your pre-natal vitamins last night?" Sully asked as he watched his beautiful wife slowly sip the herbal tea, reaching out to smooth strands of her long hair behind her shoulder.

In answer he received her wry half grin. "I'm afraid I forgot...again."

He shook his head and chuckled softly. "Ya gotta _remember,_ mé'oo'o. Dr. Bernard said that'll help the morning sickness..."

She nodded, glancing into his eyes as she took another tiny sip. "I know...I'm just so tired when I finally get to bed..."

"Well, from now on, I'm makin' _sure_ you take 'em," he returned with a teasing grin. "Can't have you losin' much more weight..." he added, suddenly serious.

Michaela paused, looking at him in surprise.

"What? You think I wouldn't notice?" he asked lovingly, shaking his head at her in wonder. "I know your body better than I know my _own," _he declared with a grin. "Besides, when I carried you yesterday, I could tell. What is it...four...five pounds?"

"Four," she murmured reluctantly, then seeing the worry in his eyes, added quickly, "but it's nothing to worry about. In fact, it's quite normal in pregnancy to have continuous morning sickness for several weeks and lose pounds before you start gaining. And I _will_ gain, and get _fat_," she added wryly. "Then, you'll _wish_ I was nauseous again."

"Hey, that's not funny," he quickly admonished. "I wouldn't _ever_ wish that on you – or anyone. And you won't be _fat_...you'll be pregnant – and that's a good thing – remember?" he added with a twinkle.

"Yes...a very good thing," she agreed lovingly, managing a grin.

Watching her attentively for a few minutes as she sipped more than half the cup, he noticed her face begin to relax. "The tea helpin'?"

"Yes, the queasiness is subsiding," she answered, reaching out to caress his face. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he murmured, turning his head to press a kiss to her fingers.

Glancing around and through the front window at the storm, Sully murmured, "Don't look like I'm gonna get much done on the new bedroom's foundation today..."

"And probably not for awhile...with all this rain, that fresh dirt will be a muddy mess."

He nodded in agreement. "You wanna go back upstairs and try to sleep some more?"

"Mmm, no," she answered thoughtfully, shaking her head. "The storm would be louder upstairs. Why don't we just stay here on the couch and watch a little television?"

"Sounds good to me," he murmured, leaning over to press a sweet kiss to her lips. "Scoot down a little," he requested as he removed his keys from his jeans pocket, maneuvering to sit down at the end of the couch as he guided her head to rest on his lap.

"Comfy?" he asked after he put his feet up on the ottoman.

"Yes, thank you," she murmured, curling her body toward the television and making herself comfortable, tugging one of Sully's arms around her and kissing his fingers, before entwining them with her own. She settled their combined hands against her belly as he reached for the remote with the other.

Before long, they were comfortably engrossed in a classic who-done-it on the Turner channel, tucked warm and safe inside their home as the storm raged, needing nothing but each other to feel satisfied and complete.

OOOOOOOOO

Sometime later, a loud clap of thunder and the sudden plunging of the house into quiet, shadowed darkness woke the dozing couple.

Michaela jerked awake with a start, moving to sit up from her husband's lap. Sully stretched awkwardly and reached to gently rub his wife's back as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"We musta dozed off," he murmured. "Looks like the electric's off again," he added, scooting forward to peer into her face. "How ya feel?"

"Better. No nausea, thank goodness," she answered softly, sitting up a little straighter and leaning against him as she looked around and out the front window.

"I can't believe this rain. You would think the sky would run out of water at some point," she joked, yawning sleepily.

Sully chuckled softly and pressed his lips to her temple. "Yeah, you'd think." Smoothing her hair to one side and caressing the nape of her neck, he asked softly, "Ya hungry?"

"Mmm, I don't know..." she began, in truth a little afraid the nausea would return.

"Ya gotta eat somethin'. Tell ya what...how about I make you one of my special peanut butter and honey sandwiches, hmm? That'll give ya protein and energy..."

Michaela smiled softly and leaned to give his lips a soft kiss. "Sounds good," she replied, moving to stand.

"Nope," her husband instructed, gently pressing her back against the cushions. "You stay there...you don't get as sick lying down, right? I'll bring it to ya." He stood up and sprinted to the kitchen. "Milk alright with it?" he called.

"Yes...and you're spoiling me," Michaela returned with a happy grin, settling herself back against the cushions in a semi-reclining position.

"You deserve to be spoiled – you're pregnant with our baby and its been givin' ya a hard time – and besides that – I love ya," he called as he worked.

Glancing at the fireplace, she noticed the fire from earlier had completely gone out. Starting to rise, she called, "The fire's out..."

"I'll get it...stay put!" he returned, and she shook her head, chuckling.

"I'm not an invalid, Sully...just pregnant."

"Right," he answered, leaning to see past the kitchen chimney. "We worked hard to get ya that way, and I ain't takin' no chances," he added with a wink.

Several minutes later he returned to the living room, carrying a tray and a kerosene lantern he kept handy for emergencies. Laying the tray on the coffee table within her reach, he crouched down and made short work of relighting the fire, then lit the lamp and placed it on a side table.

Sitting down next to her, he reached for his plate and they curled up together on the couch, each one feeding pieces of their own sandwich to the other.

"Mmm," Michaela sighed, her eyes closing in pleasure, immensely glad that something actually tasted good to her again.

"Oops," she murmured as a drop of honey escaped and landed on her hand, but before she could react, Sully gently grasped it and raised it to his lips, suckling the sweet stickiness from her fingers.

She returned the favor, taking one of his honey-laced fingers into her mouth, suckling the sweetness from it and gazing deeply into his eyes in the flickering light, hers filled with overflowing love.

"Mmm, I _would_ say 'be careful, that'll getcha in trouble'...but you're _already_ that way," he teased softly, blue eyes twinkling.

She smiled that half smile he loved and nodded, teasing back, "Mmm hmm, and it's all your fault."

His mouth dropped open in mock offense. "_My_ fault? And just who seduced _who_ in the teepee that night?" he teased gently, tilting his head back as he gazed down into her eyes. "I can still hear you whisper, _Sully... please give me a baby tonight_. I just gave ya what ya asked for," he added with a dimpled grin.

"Mmm, you certainly did," she returned with a twinkle, leaning in to gently rub his nose with hers. "Have I thanked you for that?"

"Once or twice," he murmured, succumbing to the pull of her magnetism and leaning in for a kiss, which immediately deepened.

Pulling back a few moments later, he whispered, "Have I told ya lately that I love ya...Dr. Mike?"

She grinned at his use of her nickname and whispered, "Yes...once or twice."

He chuckled as she pulled back a little and broke off another piece to feed him.

"This remind you of anything, Mr. Sully?" she murmured softly as she slipped the bite into his mouth.

"Mmm hmm...our weddin' cake...our honeymoon...chocolate covered strawberries," he grinned.

"Yes...but I was thinking of something further back...that time you took care of me during the ice storm, and fed me bites of a honey and berries sandwich."

"Yeah...I forgot about that," he mused as images from that night resurfaced. "Although I don't know how I _could_ have...you about drove me crazy wantin' ya that night...but I couldn't even say it _out_ _loud_," he added teasingly, referring to their agreement when they began their courting that he would keep those thoughts to himself.

"Mmm well, your _eyes_ are very expressive, Mr. Sully, and that night they were speaking volumes. I knew _exactly_ what you were thinking," she informed him, mockingly stern. Then turning playful, she grinned and added, "Partly because I was thinking the very same thoughts, _when_ I could concentrate."

"You were so sick...I was so worried..." he replied, waxing serious.

"I couldn't have been in better hands. You did everything perfectly," she complimented softly, closing her eyes as he leaned in for a soft kiss.

"Thank you," he whispered, nuzzling her nose.

They lapsed into companionable silence then as they finished off their lunch, each remembering their passionate courtship from their own perspectives and how in many ways it was the longest year of each of their lives.

Later, as Sully rose to clean up their impromptu snack, Michaela leaned back against the cushions, taking precautions to keep her lunch down, sighing as she said, "I hope the bus has no trouble bringing the children home..."

"They'll be fine. John's a good driver, he'll take it slow," Sully assured her confidently.

Coming back from the kitchen moments later, Sully stood for a moment gazing out the front windows at the incessant rain. "One o'clock in the afternoon and it's so dark it seems like evenin'. I wonder how far the power outage is, or if it's just us...think I'll call Robert E."

Stepping back into the kitchen, he took his cell phone off the charger. "Glad I charged this thing up last night..." he murmured as he pressed his friend's speed dial number.

After several rings, the other man answered.

"Hey Robert E."

"Sully. You guys stayin' dry in this weather?" he joked.

"Yep. And thank goodness for fireplaces – our power's out. Is it out at your place?"

"No, our power's still on, though I been wonderin' for how long. Hang on a minute," he added, stepping to the door of his shop and looking up and down the road. "I see lights on everywhere. Probably those dang lines of yours, Sully. They've always give you trouble."

"Yeah, I was afraid of that. And it won't do no good to call CSU till the storm lets up."

"Probably not. You really outta think about havin' an underground system put in, man."

"I know...I just hate spendin' that much money on something like that," Sully agreed with a sigh.

"Yeah, I know whatcha mean. Well, you know you guys are welcome to stay with us tonight if you want to, if it don't come back on before then."

"Thanks, man, but we'll be okay. That's the great thing about these big old fireplaces, they come in handy."

Robert E. chuckled and nodded. "I hear ya."

"Talk to ya later."

"Ok Sully."

With that the men disconnected and Sully turned to his wife. "Well...looks like we might be in for another pioneer adventure tonight," he quipped with a soft grin.

OOOOOOOOO

The Sully kids jumped down the last big step of the bus and scrambled to the waiting Escalade, very grateful for their thoughtful father.

Slamming the SUV's door shut against the downpour as the bus made its way on down Hanover, Hannah groused, "Good grief! Is this rain ever gonna stop?"

"This reminds me of the trip we took getting to Colorado Springs the first time," Colleen commented, smoothing her damp, long blond hair back off her face.

"Yeah, the rain followed us all the way from Boston!" Brian piped up, leaning up near his father and watching him negotiate backing up in the clinic's front parking area to begin the short drive down to the house. Sully grinned and winked at the boy, fondly ruffling his hair.

"Well, not quite from Boston, little brother, but almost," Matthew corrected, flashing a grin at his brother from the front seat.

"Hey guys, the power went out a few hours ago," Sully informed his children during a lull in their remarks.

"Aw man!" "You're kidding!" "Not again!" they chorused, slumping back in their seats.

"What're we gonna do?" Colleen whined, thinking about an episode of her favorite television show she'd been looking forward to watching.

"Well, we did alright during the ice storm last winter, right?" Sully reminded them, pulling the vehicle up near the house and turning off the motor.

"True," Matthew agreed.

"Can we make popcorn in the fireplace again, Daddy?" Brian squeaked, his opinion of the situation immediately flip-flopping in typical kid fashion.

"Sure Brian, and we'll find lots of stuff to do, don't worry. And this time, your mom's not sick, and it's not freezing outside," he pointed out.

"Is Mom feeling better today?" Hannah asked, concerned about her mother's bouts with nausea and vomiting she had witnessed over the last three weeks.

"Yeah, she is, sweet girl," he answered, reaching back to caress her cheek with a smile. "I got her to eat a little bit of lunch, and she kept it down."

"Good. I've been worried about her," she replied as she returned his smile, identical blue eyes twinkling as he answered, "Me, too."

"Yeah me too, but mostly, it's made me decide I don't ever want to have a baby!" Colleen interjected with a grimace, remembering several times of holding her mother's long hair back while watching her helplessly empty her stomach, and then continue with miserable dry heaves.

Sully grinned and shook his head, understanding her point of view, but knowing she would change her mind when the time came.

"Well, I'm really hopin' today's gonna be a turn-around for her, but I want us all to make sure she takes it easy the next few days, okay? She feels a little better when she's laying down or sitting."

"Yeah. But you know how stubborn she can be when she wants to do something," Matthew contributed, flashing a knowing half grin at his father. Sully nodded with an answering grin.

"Yep, but I think between the five of us, we can overrule that stubbornness."

"Okay Daddy," Brian answered as Matthew opened the front passenger door.

"Here we go again!" Hannah hollered as she opened the back door, dashing through the rain and up the steps to the porch, followed closely by her siblings and their father. All five burst into the living room, laughing and shaking water out of their hair as their startled mother and wife sat up from the couch.

"My goodness! Have you all turned into _ducks_?" she quipped with a grin. Brian threw his jacket over a chair and ran over to her.

"Quack quack!" the little boy squawked, falling into her arms with a giggle.

Michaela laughed and hugged him to her chest as the others joined in the merriment, moving into the living room to gather close to the fire and discuss plans for the evening.

OOOOOOOOO

"Mmm mmm, this sure is good, Daddy," Brian complimented before stuffing another handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"Yeah, how come it tastes better when you cook it over the fire like this?" Matthew asked, popping several pieces in his mouth.

"I don't know, but it sure does. Microwavin' it probably takes some of the flavor away," Sully answered, popping a piece in his own mouth and winking at his wife across the kitchen table.

"You want some, sweetheart?" he asked her softly.

"It does smell delicious..." she answered, tentatively reaching out for a piece from his bowl.

"It's got lots of butter..." Sully warned as Michaela tentatively put the piece in her mouth. All five family members stopped chewing and stared at her to watch her reaction. Turning to glance at them, Michaela blushed a little to be under such scrutiny.

Swallowing the piece and waiting a moment with no adverse reaction, she smiled and murmured, "So far...so good," and reached for more.

Sully grinned and winked at her, then turned to answer a question Hannah asked. The conversation turned lively, with the kids, Sully, and Wolf competing to see who could toss a piece in the air the highest and still catch it in their mouths, everyone laughing and having a great time. Wolf never missed, plus he served as clean up man for every piece the others dropped.

Suddenly, Michaela, who had been quiet, put a hand up to her throat and grimmaced as she swallowed another piece of the popcorn. Sully's eyes snapped to her and before she could blink, he uttered, "Oh no," and swooped her up in his arms, calling over his shoulder, "Matthew, take the kettle off the fire and pour some in that cup there on the counter, the one with the tea bag in it. Hurry!"

"Got it!" the young man called as he quickly complied.

"Oh no, not again," Colleen murmured, exchanging glances with her sister as they rose from their chairs to follow as Sully carried Michaela quickly into the living room and laid her down on the couch. He reached for a medical journal on the table to fan her with as Matthew hastily made the tea.

"Sully...I..." Michaela began.

"Breathe in through your nose, sweetheart," he interrupted as he vigorously fanned. "This time I'm gonna make _sure_ you keep your supper down..."

"But..."

"Ssshhh...just relax," he encouraged as he continued to fan her, lovingly smoothing her bangs from her forehead as the girls gathered around the couch in concern, fiercely hoping their father could come to the rescue. Hannah knelt down at Michaela's side and took her hand, softly caressing it as she held it against her chest, her blue eyes watching every expression on her mother's beautiful face.

"Let me take it to her Matthew!" Brian's voice was heard from the kitchen.

"All right, Little Brother, but be careful," his big brother consented, making sure Brian had a good grip on the cup before allowing him to walk carefully into the living room.

"Here Mama, here's your tea...it's not real hot..." he offered, crouching down next to Sully, his face a picture of worried concern just like his father's as he sought to try and be of help. So far, there hadn't been much the little boy could do to help her, as his father had admonished him to do when they had found out about the baby weeks earlier. It seemed she was always sick.

"Oh Mom, I hope you're not gonna throw up again!" Colleen murmured, leaning over the back of the couch and gazing down at her mother.

Michaela blinked several times as she held the cup of tea, sheepishly gazing around at the anxious faces of Hannah, Colleen, Brian, Matthew, and especially Sully, who was perched on the edge of the couch, vigorously fanning.

"Oh dear...um...I don't know how to tell you all this but...I'm not feeling nauseous..." she began gently, taking her lip between her teeth as she waited for their reactions.

Sully stopped fanning and stared at her, dumbfounded. "You aren't? But...you put your hand up to..."

Michaela nodded, raising her eyebrows and trying not to grin. "Yes...it's just that it was a large piece of popcorn and..." she stopped, shrugging as she couldn't remember why she had even put her hand to her throat to begin with.

Several silent moments passed as they all stared at her, stunned, and then Sully shut his eyes, pressed his lips together and hung his head, his shoulders shaking with silent mirth. The children, seeing their father dissolved in laughter, began giggling, then chuckling as they met each other's eyes. Then everyone burst out in loud, relieved laughter, even Wolf seemed to understand the joke as he leaned his head back and barked loudly. Michaela looked around in amazement before finally joining in the merriment.

"Wow," Sully gasped, swiping at tears of laughter with the back of one hand. "Talk about overreactin'. I was so determined to be your hero, I didn't take time to find out if ya _needed_ rescuin'!"

Michaela smiled lovingly and handed the cup to Hannah, then held out her arms to Sully, which he went into immediately. She welcomed the others, and they leaned down and joined the embrace as she murmured, "Thank you for caring about me so much...I feel like the most loved pregnant woman on the face of the earth!"

"Well, maybe not the whole earth, but ya are in _this_ house!" Brian quipped with a dimpled grin, laughing when Matthew reached over and mussed his hair.

As everyone pulled back, Michaela looked around mischievously. "Now...may I have some more of that popcorn?"

OOOOOOOOO

"Ok, you guys wanna try sleepin' in your rooms, or do you want to camp out down here?" Sully asked the kids several hours later. Three voices immediately squealed, "Camp out! Camp out!"

Sully chuckled as Matthew groaned, knowing he would be assigned watchdog and fire tending duty for the night. The amused father clapped his hands, ordering, "Okay, scoot upstairs and get your sleepin' bags and pillows." Then, turning to his wife sitting on the couch, he asked with a grin, "Camp out or bedroom?"

Choosing to ignore the naughty twinkle in his eye since they had an audience, she answered, "I really don't relish a night on the hard floor, thank you. I think I'll go on upstairs and get ready for bed now."

Sully grinned and nodded as he watched the girls and Brian racing up the stairs. "Okay, sweetheart. I'll be up in a few minutes, I'm gonna bring in some extra firewood."

Michaela made her way up the stairs, knowing the kids would be in capable hands through the night with Matthew and Wolf.

Thirty minutes later, Sully entered their room with a glass of water, glancing at the brightly burning fire in the fireplace and grinning as he realized that his wife had set and lit it herself. Looking to his left, he smiled to see Michaela snuggled under the covers of their bed, her eyes closed. He wondered if she had slipped off to sleep already.

Kneeling down next to the bed, he whispered, "Chaela?"

She stirred sleepily and opened her eyes. "Hmm?"

"You take your vitamins?"

"Oh my...why do I keep forgetting?" she answered guiltily.

Her husband chuckled and reached for the bottle on the nightstand.

"C'mon, take 'em...here," he urged gently, handing her the pills and water as she sat up.

Several minutes later, snuggled together in the warm covers, Michaela leaned her head back a bit to view Sully's handsome face in the flickering firelight. "Sully?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you...for taking such good care of me...of all of us," she murmured sincerely.

He smiled and glanced at her, leaning in for a soft kiss. "You're welcome."

"Did you talk to Cloud Dancing today?" Michaela asked, settling down again.

"Yep. And Snowbird's fine...although bein' sick like you in the mornings," he answered, knowing she would want to know.

"Mmm, I hope she gets through it quickly."

"Yeah, for her sake _and_ his," Sully chuckled.

Grinning with understanding, she asked, "By the way, did you find out if we are the only home without electricity?"

"Yep. Called Loren, Jake, and even the Reverend, plus our closest neighbor, the Kellys. It's just us again."

"Oh Sully...do you think we _should_ have the lines put underground?" she wondered worriedly.

Sully sighed resignedly. "Probably. I got a few estimates one time, and it wasn't cheap. The problem is that canopy of trees up and down the driveway, even though I try to keep 'em trimmed up. All it takes to short out the wires is one small limb blowin' down in a storm and touchin' 'em, but I sure as heck ain't gonna cut those trees down. They've been there for decades - I don't even know how old some of 'em are..."

"Oh, I love our tree-covered driveway, it feels almost...magical," she murmured with a sigh. "Sully...maybe you could do part of the work yourself to save some money...like digging the trench for the wires or something..." Michaela suggested.

"Maybe," he agreed thoughtfully. "I'll look into it again come spring," he assured with a gentle squeeze to her shoulder.

Michaela relaxed against him, and they were comfortably silent for a few minutes, just listening to the wind and rain outside of their windows and the occasional crack of firewood in the hearth.

Sully began thinking about a passage he had read in the old journal several nights before after Michaela had gone to sleep exhausted from a day of frequent nausea and vomiting...

_**November 21, 1870**_

_**I am such a lucky woman to have a husband as attentive, as loving, as thoughtful and as romantic, as my Sully. Last month, he spent hours upon hours making a Cinderella carriage in which to carry me to the Halloween party, and yesterday, he surprised me with a special night. **_

_**He said for our six-month anniversary he wanted to recreate a part of our honeymoon, but he couldn't afford to take me all the way to Denver. So, he and Robert E. fashioned a private 'dining room' in one corner of the café using a wooden frame on which white 'curtains' were draped. A 'chandelier' hung above our table. He borrowed elegant China dishes and a music box from Loren's store, which played a beautiful song that reminded me of the one we danced to when he took me out to dinner in Boston. We dressed in our finest clothes, and Horace had volunteered to transport us in his beautiful fringe topped surrey. We dined on Grace's Lapin Etouffee and other Creole delicacies, attentively served by the daughter of one of Grace's friends (who seemed mesmerized by Sully's blue eyes and nearly fell over when Sully tipped her a whole dollar) and it was such a lovely evening, even unseasonably warm. **_

_**After we ate, Sully wound up the music box and came to my chair, bowed low over my hand and asked if I cared to dance. I was totally entranced! So there, in our private corner away from prying eyes, we danced and danced, and laughed together as Sully had to keep rewinding the music. He made me feel like a princess, and he was my handsome prince, as always. It was an evening I shall cherish forever. **_

Smiling as he recalled the words and hoping that tonight marked a turning point in his pregnant wife's run of morning sickness, Sully softly caressed her shoulder and arm, clearing his throat before murmuring, "Hey...I been thinkin'..."

"Yes?" she returned, softly caressing his chest.

"You wanna do somethin' special this Friday for our six month anniversary?" he asked softly, eyebrows raised in expectation as he glanced down at her.

"Mmm, I don't know...like what?" she answered hesitantly, wondering if she would ruin it by being nauseous.

"I thought we might make a night of it...go to that restaurant where we had our first official date...maybe go dancin'...would you like to go?" he murmured, sealing his invitation with a soft kiss.

Michaela smiled dreamily at the thought of having her wonderful husband all to herself for a whole evening, receiving his undivided attention and able to give him her own.

Sighing in sweet contentment and snuggling deeper into his arms, she murmured, "Sounds like a plan."

"Good," Sully murmured, pleased with himself. "Né-méhotatséme, mé'oo'o," he whispered.

"I love you, too, my wonderful sweetheart," she readily responded, tilting her head back to offer him her lips again, which he immediately covered with his own. The kiss was both sweetly gentle and firmly loving, leaving each of them sighing blissfully.

Finally Sully pulled back and pressed a sweet kiss to her nose, whispering, "Night, honey."

"Goodnight, Sully."

With that the couple closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep, each saying a little prayer that Michaela would be feeling herself again by the weekend, and that nothing would happen to spoil their plans...


	2. And The Pendulum Swings

_AN: Thank you everyone for the wonderful opening reviews! You made this author a very happy camper! This chapter is my nod to mood swings. _

**Chapter 2 – And The Pendulum Swings**

The next morning dawned bright and clear, and Sully got right on the phone, calling Colorado Springs Utilities about the power outage. Thankfully, they were 'Johnny-on-the-spot', reconnecting it within the hour. Sully walked down the drive, stepping over limbs, leaves, and other storm debris on the way, and spoke at length with the utility crew about the possibility of having the power lines put underground. The men had several good ideas and suggestions of contractors to do the work.

With life back to normal, the family went about their responsibilities. Michaela was indeed feeling much better, and even felt like catching up on some work at the clinic. Sully went back to working on the new bedroom's foundation, in between his normal chores and duties.

Friday morning found the couple spooned together closely in their bed, asleep. Michaela slowly came awake, roused from sleep by the oh-so-gentle hand of her husband sensuously caressing certain private areas of her body.

Stirring slightly, a half smile formed on her face as she felt the persistent pressure of a certain part of her husband's anatomy rhythmically pressing against her, insisting its presence be known and acknowledged.

"Mmm, _someone_ is up early this morning," she murmured sleepily, feeling him chuckle softly against her hair.

"Yeah...I was dreamin'...of us bein' together...musta' woke him up," he murmured playfully as he allowed his hand free rein to softly caress and explore his favorite territory – his wife's body.

"Doesn't he know it's not time to get up yet?" she teased softly, although her body was already responding of its own accord.

He chuckled again, whispering, "He operates on his own schedule."

"Indeed," she murmured, pressing against him in response as his lips began caressing and softly suckling her neck.

"I must say...this is my favorite way to wake up," she admitted softly, taking in a shuddering breath as her body responded to the expert ministrations of his left hand, which had ventured much lower on her anatomy.

"Been awhile," Sully murmured as his lips found the extra sensitive spot behind her ear.

"Mmm hmm," Michaela managed to answer, her whole attention quickly centering on what her husband was about to do to her as she felt his hand begin to divest her of a certain lace edged undergarment.

She felt her heart speed up in reaction as she moistened her lips in anticipation.

"Take these off," he whispered against her ear, and she automatically obeyed his request, raising her hips to aid in the task.

That finished, Sully gently rolled her to her back, pressing kisses to her cheek and neck as he assumed a very familiar position. Leaning back, he propped himself above her on one forearm and smiled into her eyes, both pairs over flowing with love as he one-handedly unbuttoned the pajama top she was wearing.

"I love when ya wear the top half of my pajamas," he teased softly, wiggling his eyebrows. "Makes things easier for me."

"Mmm, I noticed the bottom half of the pair seems to be missing," she teased in return, lovingly watching his eyes crinkle in amusement.

"I was hot," came his simple answer.

"I'll say," she murmured sensually, only to be rewarded with a sly grin as he spread the garment's edges to the sides.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered as his eyes roamed from her face downward. Gently and reverently, he ran his fingertips across her soft skin, knowing he would never tire of viewing this sight reserved for him only.

She smiled dreamily, unaware of the gorgeous picture she made, her long, smooth, copper brown hair splayed out on the pillow in magnificent sensuous disarray as she watched his eyes caress her form, bared for his loving inspection. The heat of his gaze warmed her from head to toe.

"They still tender?" he asked as his hand cupped and gently squeezed a perfect mound, dipping his head to press his lips to its peak.

"A tiny bit," she responded softly, raising a hand to entwine her fingers in his wavy hair.

"I'll go easy on 'em," he teasingly assured with a rakish grin as he lowered his head to press his lips to the valley between, working his way slowly downward, across the velvety smooth skin covering her ribs, to the warm area cocooning his child.

Glancing upward, he caught her gazing down at him and they smiled happily into each other's eyes.

"You're startin' ta show a little even layin' down," he murmured as he reverently kissed and caressed the barely discernable mound.

"A little," she agreed softly, closing her eyes in pleasure as he began to masterfully use his hands and his mouth in ways he knew she particularly enjoyed, awakening every nerve ending in her body before he circled back up to her neck and finally her lips.

Michaela melted into his kiss, her body automatically opening in welcome as he joined them as one.

Making sure to keep his weight off her belly, Sully gently and carefully made love to his wife, taking his time to bring her to complete fulfillment and joy as he reverently worshipped her body, before finally releasing his own pleasure in a wondrous climax of their love.

Completely sated, they rolled together to one side, still connected and wrapped in a tight embrace as they simply enjoyed the wonderful aspect of being married and in love.

After awhile, Sully pressed a kiss to her temple, whispering, "I'm so lucky...to have such a sweet, loving wife like you. I've never known anybody as patient and kind as you, you know that?"

Michaela chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to his neck and nuzzling his ear. "You make me sound perfect, Sully. But I'm not perfect. I have flaws just like anyone."

He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "Nah. You're perfect ta _me_."

Just then, the alarm clock began to sound and Sully reached over to turn it off.

"Sounds like it's time to start another day," he murmured, giving her one last squeeze.

"I love you," Michaela murmured, leaning back for one more kiss, which her husband, of course, gladly provided.

"Love you, too. Now, don't forget to eat a few crackers before you get up," he added with a grin.

She grinned back, answering, "Yes, Dr. Sully."

OOOOOOOOO

Twenty minutes later, as Sully supervised the morning ritual of the kids finding their uniforms and getting ready for school, Michaela went downstairs to begin breakfast for the family. Having already noticed something unusual in the air upstairs after opening their bedroom door, an unpleasant odor positively assailed her nose as she rounded the base of the steps and headed into the kitchen.

Clamping a hand over her nostrils, she recoiled against the possibility of the unknown smell bringing back the dreaded nausea. Racking her brain for a possible cause for the odor, she went immediately to the kitchen garbage can, but saw that Sully had indeed taken the bag out the previous night, as she had requested. Holding her breath, she went to the front kitchen window and opened it wide, then opened the side window for good measure.

Within a few moments, the unpleasant odor had diminished enough for her to go about her task as she mentally prepared choice words for her husband as soon as he came downstairs. Angrily going about her task, she mumbled to herself about mentioning several times the previous day that the house had a distasteful smell.

Ten minutes went by and he came bounding lightly down the steps, sweeping into the kitchen and sidling up to her with a large contented grin. Planting a loving kiss on her cheek as she stood at the stove stirring the oatmeal, his brows furrowed as his previously enthusiastic and loving wife seemed now to be totally ignoring him.

"Brr!" he suddenly exclaimed, rubbing his arms against the unexpected chill of the open windows. "Why the heck are those windows open?" he asked incredulously, immediately moving over and shutting first one and then the other.

"Wait a few moments and you'll find out," Michaela remarked nonchalantly as she continued to stir, holding back from flinging harsher words his way.

Sure enough, a minute went by and the odor came back full force.

"What the _heck_ is that smell?" Sully muttered, staring at his wife incredulously.

"Don't look at _me_!" she snapped, her emotional pot immediately boiling over. "It was like that when I came down," she added, stepping to the cabinet for bowls, which she yanked off the shelf.

"But what _is_ it?"

"_I don't know_," Michaela snapped. "I checked the garbage, but that isn't it. There's nothing in the sink or drain, or on the floor. But I'll tell you right now, Byron Frederick, I can't handle it - it will make me sick!"

When he stood there for a moment, hands on his hips as he contemplated what it could be, she barked testily, "Sully –DO something about it!"

"All right! All right!" he muttered, his mind running over several possibilities of the cause, as the kids began to come down the stairs.

Rounding the corner, Brian took in a big breath and immediately clamped his hand on his nose. "Eww, yuck! What's that _smell?"_

"That's what we're trying to find out, Brian. Come on and eat your breakfast," Michaela instructed as gently as she could manage as she spooned oatmeal into his bowl. "Sully, you're going to have to open the windows again – I tell you, I _can't stand it!"_ she snapped at her dumbfounded husband.

"Okay, sweetheart," he quickly soothed; reopening the windows he had just closed.

"_Dang_, Mom, what's that smell?" Matthew asked a moment later.

"Yeah! It's gross!" Colleen added, Hannah echoing as she joined the family at the table.

"We're not sure yet, Colleen. Just, everyone, try and eat your breakfast so you won't be late for the bus," their harried mother instructed, raising one hand to her forehead as she tried to tamp down her raging emotions. She threw an aggravated look her husband's way as he continued to stand there with his hands on his hips.

The children began to down their food as quickly as possible, for once totally glad to be able to escape the house and go to school all day. Soon, all four did just that, each one finishing their breakfast in record time, grabbing their backpacks, and heading out the door to wait for the bus on the clinic porch, bidding their parents hasty goodbyes.

"Whew! Man, am I glad to get outta there!" Matthew murmured, his sisters and brother heartily agreeing as they hurried down the gravel drive and away from their not so home _sweet_ home.

Meanwhile, Sully had been sniffing and searching for the source of the increasingly disgusting odor, noticing that it seemed worse near the front door.

"It's the strangest thing...it seems to be the worst right here, but there's nothin'..." he paused as he eyes grew large and he stared at his wife.

"What?" Michaela squeaked, unnerved by the look on her husband's face.

"The cellar," he stated in dread.

"But...what could be in the cellar that would have such a smell...the only things down there are stored items...some baskets of potatoes...old canning jars...the furnace and water heater...and the old deep freeze. Could an animal have found its way in there through the trap door under the porch and been unable to get out?" she asked in dread.

"Well...nothin' for it but to go down there and see," Sully muttered, momentarily wishing he could pass his 'man of the house' duties on to someone else. Gritting his teeth against the fear of the 'unknown', he reached down and took hold of the rug that covered the cellar door, tossing it back out of the way. Meeting his wife's eyes in a 'Well, here goes nothin' look, he reached for the handle and yanked the door open.

Michaela had ventured close to the door and was immediately assailed by a magnification of the terrible odor.

"Sully! Has something _died_ down there?" she squealed, gasping and choking, before clamping a towel over her mouth and nose.

Sully reached in his pocket for his bandana and hastily tied it over his nose, then tried to flip on the cellar's light switch, which didn't appear to be working. Reaching for the kerosene lantern they had used earlier in the week, he lit it and held it down in the hole, but it afforded him hardly any help.

"I'm gonna go get the big flashlight from the barn," he muttered as he yanked open the front door and sprinted down the stairs.

Michaela waited for him on the porch, gulping in large breaths of fresh air and shaking her head in amusement as Wolf trotted up the porch steps, paused at the door and sniffed, then turned tail with a whine and bolted back down the stairs.

Quickly returning and leaving the front door wide open, Sully crouched down, aiming the powerful yellow and black flashlight into the dark hole, his eyes searching the confines of the space, which encompassed about a quarter of the footprint of the house.

"I don't see anything. I'm goin' on down," he murmured, stepping onto the interior ladder.

"Be careful!" Michaela admonished, hovering just inside the front door, one hand holding the towel on her face, the other holding her stomach.

Carefully descending the rungs, Sully stepped onto the slate floor of the cellar and shined the light slowly around all four of its original creek stone-lined walls, but nothing seemed amiss. Realization was beginning to dawn, however, with the fact that the overhead light wasn't working. Sighing in resignation, Sully stepped to the freezer and opened the lid.

"Oh gosh, I was afraid of this," he murmured, slamming the lid back down.

"What is it, Sully?" Michaela called from above.

"The freezer," he answered, quickly ascending the ladder and perching himself on the ledge.

She came near and crouched near him. "You mean..." she paused, her eyes huge above the towel pressed to her face.

"Yep," Sully returned, lowering the bandana. "My guess is when the electric went off, it tripped the breaker to the cellar, so it didn't come back on when the rest of the house did," he answered, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Sully! All that deer meat Robert E. just gave us?...And our Thanksgiving turkey? And...and everything else? – Spoiled?" she breathed as realization dawned of the amount of money all that meat was worth.

"Yep."

"Oh Sully, this is _ridiculous_! Why did something like this have to happen?" Michaela groused, aggravation rising inside of her like mercury in a thermometer.

"Stop frettin', it'll be alright as soon as we get this cleaned out..." Sully began, only to be interrupted by his pregnant wife jumping to her feet as if he'd slapped her. His mouth dropped open as he stared up at her towering over him.

"WE get this cleaned out?" she screeched, pointing with her hand to him and then to her own chest. "Byron Frederick, you KNOW I just recovered from three solid weeks of morning sickness and my sense of smell is _extremely sensitive_ right now! And, may I point out, I ASKED you to see about the odor _last night_, before it got this bad!" she ranted, one hand still clamping the towel to her face as she glared down at him angrily.

Beginning to get a trifle aggravated himself between the awful smell and his suddenly unmanageable wife, Sully began again, "Come on, Michaela..."

"NO Sully!" Michaela interrupted, holding a hand up as if to hold back his words. "_I _am going down to the clinic and I am NOT coming back in this house until that smell is totally eradicated!" she bellowed angrily. Turning on her heel, long hair swishing wildly, she flounced down the porch steps.

Sully shook his head as he watched her march down the driveway, kicking gravel and muttering as she went.

"_Pregnant women_...sheesh," Sully breathed resignedly.

Sighing, he picked himself up from the ledge and rummaged around in the kitchen until he found a pair of rubber gloves and a large garbage bag.

Reluctantly making his way down the ladder, and hoping the pendulum of his wife's 'mood swing' would swing the other way soon, he muttered, "It woulda been nice ta have some help, here."

OOOOOOOOO

"And I was so angry with Sully...I could have gleefully throttled him!" Michaela fumed hours later to Snowbird, gazing at her friend's image on the webcam in the girl's room.

"I can imagine. Men! Pah!" her Cheyenne friend replied in mirroring disgust. "Do you remember how our bathroom door was hard to open and would get stuck?"

"Yes...Cloud Dancing and Sully both told you they would fix it when we were there in August..." Michaela nodded.

"Mmm hmm. But neither of them did, and I have asked that husband of mine every week since then – and yesterday, I got stuck in the bathroom for an hour until he came and let me out!" she griped, flinging a hand sarcastically.

"Did he fix it _then_?" Michaela asked incredulously, shaking her head.

Snowbird paused and nodded, a small smile gracing her face. "Yes...and he cooked a romantic dinner last night, with candles and everything," she added a trifle sheepishly. "I went from wanting to thrash him to busting out in tears like a fool when I saw it."

"Oh Snowbird..." Michaela breathed, a thoughtful smile on her face. Her best friend watched her for a moment.

"Sully... he cleaned out the freezer?"

Michaela nodded and grinned, glancing at the closed bedroom door. "I think he was afraid to tell me in person...he sent me a text message. It read, "Coast is clear if you want to unfly the coop."

Snowbird chuckled and watched her friend. "And _did_ you?"

"Of course. When I came in the door at lunch time, the house smelled so clean, I think he must have mopped everywhere with Pine-Sol," she grinned. "Plus, he had made lunch for me...even found some flowers somewhere and put them on the table..." she added wistfully.

"Ahh, I take it things are back to normal in Sullyland, then?" Snowbird quipped with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Michaela nodded again, thinking she hadn't seen her husband since she stormed down the driveway earlier. "Yes...things are fine in Sullyland."

"I am glad to hear it," Snowbird returned with a grin.

Michaela turned her head and stared out the window for a few moments, murmuring, "It's funny...how my emotions can seesaw so radically." Then glancing back into her friends eyes again, she admitted, "Sully and I...we made love so sweetly and wonderfully when we woke up this morning...I felt overflowing with love for him...then I turned right around and wanted to choke the _life_ out of him."

Snowbird nodded in agreement. "I confess...pregnancy hormones have been driving me crazy. Poor Cloud Dancing, he has been so patient with me..."

"And Sully with _me_. He had just told me this morning how patient and sweet he thinks I am..._perfect_ he said. Then I light into him like a rabid dog. I seem to be doing that a lot lately..."

After several moments of reflection, Michaela glanced again at the closed door.

"I...I think I'll go...see what he's doing. Talk to you later?"

"Yes, my friend. Have fun," the other woman added with a wink.

The ladies chuckled together as each reached for the disconnect buttons.

Opening the front door, Michaela stepped out onto the porch and drew her sweater around her, pausing to listen for clues to her husband's location. Soon, she heard the sound of a shovel moving dirt and an occasional grunt. Smiling, she descended the steps and circled the house to the back.

Pausing at the corner of the house, Michaela just watched her husband, hard at work and deep in concentration as he shoveled still damp dirt from the area roped off for the new bedroom's foundation. Despite the air's late November chill, Sully had removed his jacket and pushed up his shirt sleeves to tackle the physical labor, the powerful muscles in his forearms flexing with each toss of the shovel. Images of their magnificent lovemaking swam through her mind and her hands ached to touch him as she had just that morning.

Feeling her gaze, he looked over and spotted her watching him, grinning as he saw the slight blush come to her face as he caught her gazing at his body.

"Hey," he called, stopping to wipe his forehead and lean on the shovel.

"Hey," she responded in kind, wandering toward him and trying not to let him see naked lust in her eyes.

"I thought you went back to the clinic..." he ventured, allowing his eyes to roam over her beautiful face and hair, shining breathtakingly in the afternoon sun. His gaze dropped for a moment to her still small baby belly, trying to imagine it as it would be months from then, round and firm with their child growing inside.

"No," she answered softly, coming to a stop next to a two by four that had been hammered in the ground to support the foundation forms. She reached out and took hold of it, feeling the roughness of the wood under her fingers. "I was upstairs...talking to Snowbird on the webcam."

He nodded, having a good idea what, or _who,_ at least _part_ of the conversation had been about, thinking that must have been why his ears were 'burning.'

"I...um...thank you for lunch...and the flowers. You...you did a wonderful job of getting the odor out of the house," she stammered, feeling foolish for her raging anger over the incident.

"You're welcome...and thanks," he added, his eyebrows narrowing as he strove to find something else to say, in truth a little afraid of stirring her ire again, as he had nearly blurted, 'Could have used your help.'

Both stood awkwardly together, each thinking of that morning's passion and trying desperately to find their way back to their normal closeness.

"Well..." "So..." they each began, stopping and chuckling self-consciously.

"You go first," Michaela offered with a wave of her hand.

"I...I was just gonna ask if you were okay...you're not feelin' sick or anything...from the smell this morning?" he asked caringly.

"Oh, no, not at all. I...I feel fine," she added, knowing it was only because she had left to her husband the disgusting duty of disposing of all that rotten meat – _which he had completed without a word of complaint,_ her conscience prodded.

"So, you're gonna be able to enjoy our anniversary dinner tonight...and the dancin'?" he asked softly, his vivid blue eyes watching every nuance of expression on her face.

"Yes! Yes, I'm looking forward to it. Are _you_?" she asked as she saw him press his lips together and nod.

"Yeah, of course...why wouldn't I?" he asked, wondering what she meant by such a question, but unaware that his furrowed brow was only adding to her unease. She was thinking that he was, perhaps, having second thoughts about spending the evening alone with her.

"Oh...no reason, I..." she hesitated. "Nothing. I...I think I'll go on back to the clinic now..." _Before I say something wrong here._

"You expectin' a patient?" he asked reflexively, wondering if he'd said something wrong.

"No...just doing some odds and ends...cleaning...inventory...I don't have anything scheduled until this afternoon when I remove Teresa's cast..."

He nodded, watching her face and debating whether or not to caution her not to lift anything heavy, as he normally would have. Deciding against that, he took in a deep breath and let it out, lifting the shovel to begin digging again. "All right. See you later, then, I guess."

"Yes...see you later," she echoed, pausing as she watched him begin his work again and wishing she knew what to say to break through this awkwardness. Finally, she turned and carefully retraced her steps to the edge of the house and continued on without looking back, walking all the way to the clinic in contemplative thought.

Sully waited a few moments to make sure she was on her way, before moving to the edge of the bathroom wall and watching her walk all the way to the clinic, wishing he knew what to say to get back to their closeness of that morning. _Good thing our anniversary dinner is tonight. That should do the trick..._

OOOOOOOOO

"She was so mad, she was yellin'. Oh man, I had totally forgotten what livin' with a pregnant woman is like," Sully groused to his brother, turning his head to make sure the door to the girl's room was closed. "I'm startin' ta wonder if I'm fit for it."

"You lived with Abigail when she was carrying Hannah..." Cloud Dancing pointed out.

"I was much younger, then. I'm used to Michaela bein' sweet and soft and nice all the time. This _pregnant_ Michaela...it's like she's a different person. She flies off the handle at the drop of a hat." Shaking his head, he lamented, "Six more months of this...oh man."

Cloud Dancing turned his head to make sure the door to his home office was closed, then leaned close to the computer screen, murmuring privately, "I know what you are going through, my brother. Snowbird was on the warpath again yesterday."

"Oh man, what was it _this _time?" Sully asked sympathetically.

"You remember the bathroom door was sticking when you were here in August?"

"Yeah..."

"Well...yesterday it rained and the door swelled. Snowbird couldn't get the door open and was stuck in there for several minutes. I had gone outside to retrieve something from the truck..."

"Mmm hmm?"

"When I came back in, she was yelling for me. I opened the door and she shouted at me for twenty minutes about being stuck in the bathroom for 'an hour' and how I am not taking care of my responsibilities." He shook his head as his mind replayed the tense minutes. "I had intended to repair it, but President Spang has kept me running constantly since I got back from Colorado Springs," he explained with a helpless shrug.

"So...did you fix it?" Sully asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes...and then I made supper for us, with candles and flowers," the Indian added with a wry grin.

Sully grinned back and leaned close to ask quietly, "That _work_?"

Cloud Dancing wiggled his eyebrows. "She cried when she saw the table."

Sully nodded knowingly. "It worked. ChaChing, my brother."

The men chuckled together softly, and then Sully shook his head.

"It's funny...I can be so _mad_ at her when she's rantin' and ravin'...but as soon as her anger's gone and she's back to bein' _my Michaela_...I feel like I love her even more than ever...ya know?"

The wise Indian nodded sagely. "I know. We must remember that our women are carrying our seed right now, Sully, bringing the next generation into the world - and that _cannot_ be easy for them. For both, it is their first experience with this stage of pregnancy. And even though women have been having babies since the beginning of time, each one feels she is all alone in her misery at times."

Sully nodded thoughtfully, trying – and not for the first time – to imagine what it would feel like to have a baby living and growing _inside_ of his belly, to try to experience what his wife was going through. The thought occurred to him that there wouldn't be a moment of the day when he wouldn't be acutely aware of its presence, constantly thinking about it, imagining it, dreading the pain of giving birth...

"We, as men, cannot possibly know everything they are feeling and thinking..." His brother continued. "We must carry on to the best of our ability. Try and avoid what we know makes them agitated...try to anticipate their needs...be there for them in every way we can..."

"Yeah...that's what I've been _tryin'_ to do..."

The Indian watched his friend and brother for a few moments, as he appeared deep in thought. "Hang in there, my brother. This _season _will not last forever...and it will be more than worth it when our babies arrive and we can hold them for the first time," Cloud Dancing advised knowingly, remembering what Sully had told him about the first moments of Hannah's life, when he had felt himself become wrapped around one of her tiny fingers the first time she had looked into his eyes.

"Yeah...true," Sully agreed as he also rememberedholding Hannah for the first time. The joy and the awe when she opened her eyes and gazed up at him as if she recognized that he was her daddy, and the all-consuming love that had swelled within his heart in that life-changing moment.

Turning his head as he heard the front door open and the many footsteps of the kids coming in from school, he murmured, "Uh oh, brother, gotta go – kids are home."

"Alright, Sully. Hang in there with your wife. I will do the same on my end," he encouraged with a grin.

"Thanks. Talk to ya later, man," Sully answered as he reached for the disconnect button, watching his brother smile in return before the screen went dark.

OOOOOOOOO

"And then I fly off the handle at Jacob for no reason at all," Teresa confessed that afternoon as she watched Michaela prepare to cut the plaster cast off her arm.

"I know how _that_ is...I've been doing the same thing to Sully. Well, not for NO reason, but for reasons that seem silly later..." she admitted as she assembled the necessary supplies on the rolling table next to where Teresa sat on the exam table.

"I cry and cry and cannot seem to stop. And if I am not crying, I am eating everything I can get my hands on," Teresa continued, gritting her teeth as Michaela took hold of the cast.

"Are you in any pain? Does it feel like the break has healed?" Michaela asked when she noticed the other woman's expression.

"No pain, it feels fine," her friend nervously assured.

"Excellent. All right, just relax. I promise this won't hurt. Although it looks like a blade, it isn't sharp," Michaela explained, "It's a vibrating saw, which will not hurt or injure you, even if it should touch your skin." Teresa nodded as Michaela switched it on and touched the saw to the outer edge of the cast.

Both women were quiet for the next several minutes as Michaela carefully split both sides of the cast, and used a cast spreader to further increase the separation. Then, using bandage scissors, she cut through the web layer and lifted the cast off.

She then expertly felt along the bone, gently twisting and watching Teresa's face for any signs of pain, very glad there wasn't any.

"So...you haven't experienced any morning sickness?" Michaela asked, switching back to their earlier topic as she finished her examination.

"Only some in the early mornings, but it goes away quickly," the woman answered, holding her arm in her other hand as Michaela finished up. "It is so nice to have that cast off! The itching was driving me loco."

"Yes, I know how that is," Michaela agreed with a smile.

"Have you experienced much sickness?" the Mexican woman asked astutely, rubbing and flexing her newly healed arm.

"Oh my, yes, for three weeks it was nearly continuous...but I think I'm over the brunt of it now, thank goodness," Michaela added gratefully.

"Si, that is a terrible feeling," Teresa agreed. "I am glad I do not have it often...and Jacob is glad too – with my Latin temper, I would probably fill his ears with angry Spanish words," she added, both women chuckling together.

"Thank you, Dr. Mike, for taking care of my arm so well. You are a very good doctor," she added with a sincere smile.

"Thank you, Teresa," Michaela smiled in return.

"I hope you and Sully have a wonderful anniversary dinner tonight – no fighting or arguments," she added sagely.

"Mmm yes...I hope so, too," the doctor agreed wholeheartedly.

OOOOOOOOO

Evening finally arrived and the celebrating couple dressed nicely, admonished their three youngest to behave for their older brother, and climbed in the Escalade for their night on the town.

Sully had donned comfortable dress slacks and a nice button up shirt, topped with a dark classy blazer. Michaela wore a stylish lavender two-piece tea length sleeveless dress with a deep v-neck, topped by a long-sleeved, nearly sheer, knotted front chiffon overlay of the same color. To Sully's delight, she had embellished her outfit with the heirloom cameo necklace he had given her for Christmas.

He had reserved the dark, private corner booth they had occupied on their first date, the only time they had been to "The Famous" restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs.

Ever the gentleman, Sully helped his wife slip out of her warm wrap and into her side of the booth before sliding into his. As was the case on their first date, once they had placed their orders, they suddenly seemed almost shy with each other. Each wanted the night to be perfect...as wonderfully perfect as their honeymoon six months before.

Sully cleared his throat awkwardly. "I've only been here that one time, but the food was pretty good, as I recall," he offered, striving to make conversation.

Michaela nodded and folded her hands gracefully on the table. "Yes, it was."

Both glanced around the lavish and sophisticated room, with its polished, dark leather booths, romantic lighting, and waiters all in black whisking by bearing trays of steaks. The atmosphere hummed with conversation and the soft din of dishes.

Sully glanced back at Michaela. Thinking for a minute about the stress of the day, he silently determined to come up with ways to keep the evening lighthearted and fun, so that his wife could enjoy their evening alone together.

"So, how did it go today... taking off Teresa's cast?"

"Fine. The arm healed nicely," she responded, thinking about the conversation she'd had with the other woman.

"You two have a good chat?" Sully asked innocently, reaching for his glass and taking a sip of his water.

For some reason, that struck Michaela wrong and she bristled slightly, thinking he was implying they were gossiping.

"We talked some, mostly about the _joys_ of being pregnant," she answered, slightly sarcastic.

"Ahh. She been sick like you?" he asked nonchalantly, glancing up with a smile at the pretty waitress as the girl leaned closely over him to set a basket of rolls on their table. The young woman smiled back, thinking she had lucked out on handsome patrons at her tables that night, and hoping 'special attention' would garner some nice tips.

"Not as much, mostly suffering the moodiness and increased appetite," his wife continued, not failing to notice the attention her husband was paying to the young server – and she to him.

Sully chuckled, relaxing back against the booth as he mused, "Poor Jake. Teresa's normal temper is Latin hot, and with the pride he's always taken in his wife's figure..."

"What do you mean?" Michaela asked, gripping her water glass in both hands as she stared at him.

He laughed again. "I can see it now. She'll eat and eat and get big as a house..."

"And what will _you_ do if _I_ get 'big as a house'?" she challenged, a slight edge to her voice.

Uncharacteristically ignoring the warning signs of a potential explosion, Sully continued teasingly, "Oh let's see, I could...dress you up in a cow costume and make you sleep in the barn?" Laughing at the picture that conjured, his face forming an infuriating dimpled grin, he took another sip and waved at a friend he spotted several tables over.

_He's just teasing...calm down...breathe..._Michaela reasoned silently, wondering if she was imagining this conversation – Sully didn't usually tease her like that...

"And what will _you_ be doing while I'm sleeping in the barn?" she asked, carefully keeping her voice even.

Sully, thinking they were just bantering and totally unaware of his wife's simmering anger, continued teasingly, "Oh, that's easy...dreamin' of sandy beaches and scantily dressed young women throwin' themselves at me."

"Indeed," she returned, clamping her teeth tightly together and lowering her eyes to stare hard at the glass in her hands. Her heart began to pound as her imagination conjured up images of herself huge with child and watching other women flirt with her husband, while he reveled in their attentions. Unbidden, images of the blond named 'Catherine' at Daniel's wedding flirting blatantly with her husband, and he totally oblivious, danced through her memory.

"Yep," he answered, finally bringing his attention back to his dinner partner. Expecting to see his beautiful wife gazing at him with twinkling eyes, ready with a witty comeback, his brow furrowed as he watched her gripping her glass. A niggling feeling entered his stomach and he leaned toward her, laying a hand softly on one of hers.

"Chaela? You alright?" he asked gently, afraid she was beginning to feel nauseous.

He leaned back in surprise as her head snapped up angrily. "Oh yes, Sully, I'm quite alright!" she ground out through clenched teeth.

"What's wrong with _you_?" he reacted without thinking.

"What's wrong with _me_?" the _pregnant_ Michaela asked incredulously, but somewhere deep down, the _normal_ Michaela cautioned, _This is silly. You should calm down. Look at him - he wasn't saying those things to hurt you. _The _pregnant_ Michaela, however, was just reaching a full head of steam and the locomotive was about to roar from the station.

"My husband tells me he's going to put me in a cow costume and send me out to the barn when I get big with _his_ child, while he's inside dreaming of scantily clad, skinny young women? Why should I be upset about _that_?" she spat at him heatedly.

Sully knew he should tread carefully. He reminded himself of the conversation he'd had with Cloud Dancing earlier about having patience, but this sort of thing was happening _so often_, he felt like he was at the end of his tether.

Without weighing his words, he muttered in frustration, "You're so _dang_ touchy lately – I can't even tease with you anymore. It's gettin' ridiculous," he added, glancing around at the tables near them, seeing other diners flashing looks at them.

"Oh – now I'm _ridiculous_? Well, I'm sure you'd rather dine _alone_, then, and not have to contend with my _ridiculous _presence!" she sneered, grabbing her purse and jumping up from the table, fighting tears and excusing herself as she pushed past people on her way to the door.

"Not _again_!" Sully sighed, jumping up after her a moment later. "Michaela! Michaela, wait!" he called, making his way after his quickly departing wife.

As before, he caught her with her hand on the outside door.

"Let me go, Sully," she sniffed. Angry beyond reason, she wiped furious and embarrassed tears from her cheeks with her other hand.

"Not this time," he murmured, all trace of frustration gone from his voice. Folding her hand in his, he opened the door and tugged her through it, past other customers trying to get in. Without stopping, Sully tugged her around to the side of the building as she resisted, through the landscaped, 'garden' area to a concrete bench where he deposited her, still trembling with anger.

She clamped her eyes shut with her head down and crossed her arms over her stomach, both from frustration and cold, since her wrap was still in the restaurant.

He watched her for a moment, this woman that he loved so much, trying to ascertain her thoughts. Finally he crouched down in front of her, and placed his hands on her arms.

"Chaela...look at me..." he requested softly. After a moment, she opened her eyes, the anger already beginning to evaporate just from hearing the gentle, masculine tone of his voice. Swallowing dryly, she looked into those familiar blue eyes, filled with overflowing love and understanding.

"Do you really think I meant any of that?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

She drew in a shuddering breath as her emotions slid back to normal and she was hit with the shame of her over-reaction to harmless teasing. She shook her head. "No," she whispered.

For several moments, they stared into each other's eyes. Finally, Michaela burst into tears, squeaking, "Oh Sully! I'm so sorry!"

At once, he was next to her on the bench, pulling her tight into his arms and rocking her back and forth. "Shh, hey, hey... I'm the one who should be sorry. I don't know what I was thinkin', teasin' ya like that..."

Tears poured from her eyes as she tried to gulp them back. "I...I've never felt this way before, Sully...it frightens me..." she squeaked against his neck.

"_What_ does, sweetheart?" he murmured, smoothing her hair and tightening his hold.

"This...this _anger_ comes upon me and I can't control it...it just..._takes over. _I know it's silly, I know I shouldn't be getting angry, but the more I tell myself not to feel it...the stronger it gets," she gasped shakily.

"Its just hormones. Everything's gonna be alright, sweetheart..." he soothed, his large hand smoothing her hair back from her face as he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"But Sully...I've always prided myself on my mental control. I...I can't handle this...sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind!" she whined with a sniffle, holding onto him as if he were her lifeline.

"You're not losin' your mind, mé'oo'o," he murmured, hoping the Cheyenne endearment would help reach into her consciousness. "This is normal. You've just never experienced it before. But it won't last forever...and once our baby arrives, this will all be worth it."

"Do you hate me?" she squeaked, the pendulum having swung totally in the other direction.

He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Michaela Ann Quinn Sully, you know the answer to that," he declared in a softly firm voice. "I love you. I'm _in love_ with you. I adore you - you _and_ the little person growin' inside you. Nothin' you could possibly say or do can change that fact. Like I told ya when I asked you to be my wife – I'd give my _life_ for you, you _know_ that," he added softly.

"Oh, Sully..." she whispered, pushing back from him and wiping the tears from her cheeks as she shuddered with emotion. "My goodness, I feel so foolish."

"Hey...at least you don't throw things at me," he answered with a grin, lovingly smoothing a lock of her hair behind her ear as he hovered close.

"Of course not," she chuckled wryly, reaching in her purse for a tissue.

"Like Abby," he added in a whisper.

Michaela paused from blowing her nose and blinked at him. "She did?"

"Mm hm - more than once. She'd throw pots and pans at me," he added, tilting his head back to gaze lovingly at her face.

"Gracious!" she reacted, shaking her head in wonder.

"One night I made the mistake of complainin' that we were having soup for dinner again...so she threw the whole pot at me...soup went everywhere," he recalled. "I was glad she had lousy aim," he added with a twinkle, finally achieving his goal – a half smile and a soft giggle from his wife.

"Oh my word," she chuckled softly, finally gazing back at him, her eyes shining with all the love in her heart.

"So...ya okay now?" he asked lovingly, touching a finger to her chin and leaning in for a soft kiss.

She nodded, whispering, "I think so."

"You wanna go back inside and eat dinner?" he added.

She nodded again, suddenly realizing how hungry she felt.

"And I'm thinkin' we'd better avoid this restaurant in the future. It seems to bring out the worst in both of us," he teased.

"I wholeheartedly agree. But right now, I'm hoping they haven't taken our meals back to the kitchen!"

Laughing together at that, they stood and wrapped their arms around each other in a full body hug. Sully cradled Michaela's head and gently pressed it to his neck, shutting his eyes and sighing in relief.

Then, totally restored back to their normal relationship, they strolled together back inside, Michaela holding tightly to Sully's arm and hand. With eyes only for each other, they were completely oblivious to the stares of the other patrons, several of whom saw them and elbowed each other in amusement.

Exchanging their two-seater booth for a circular one, they enjoyed a leisurely meal pressed together, gazing almost constantly into each other's eyes and even feeding each other an occasional bite.

The lovers then drove to a jazz club in Old Colorado City and spent the next few hours swaying together on the dance floor in a romantic celebration of their first six months of marriage.


	3. Ignoring the Signs, Part 1

_AN – To anyone who remembers The Waltons, there is a scene in this chapter that I fashioned after a scene in that show, involving John-Boy and a girl he loved.__ I hope you enjoy it. :)_

**CHAPTER 3 - Ignoring the Signs, Part 1**

"Pass the syrup, please," Brian requested as the family sat around the kitchen table eating breakfast the next morning.

"Here ya go, Brian," Sully responded, handing the boy the bottle of Aunt Jemima.

"Not too much, Brian. I don't want you bouncing off the walls an hour from now," Michaela admonished, casting a 'mother' look at her blond haired son.

"Yes, ma'am," the boy answered quietly, pouring the liquid sweetness over his blueberry pancakes and flashing her a quick look to see if she was still watching. She was, so he sighed resignedly and put the bottle on the table. Sully clamped his lips together to keep from grinning at the boy's obvious intentions, winking at his wife when he noticed her lips clamped in a similar manner.

"Um, Dad...yesterday on the bus, Ingrid was talking about needing to practice parallel parking for her license test, and I kinda told her we'd help her with it," Matthew mentioned, clearing his throat at the amused look his father flashed his way.

"That right, Matthew?" Sully responded, reaching for his coffee cup and taking a sip.

"Yeah...since I did pretty good on it last month...and _you're_ terrific at it...well...she says her mom's too nervous and her dad is... gone all the time..." the young man began, stumbling to a halt as everyone at the table directed their gazes at him.

"Matthew's got a girlfriend! Matthew's got a girlfriend!" Brian chanted, ducking as Matthew reached over to swat at him. "Matthew's got a girlfriend!"

"Brian, cut it out," his brother commanded firmly as the girls glanced at each other and giggled.

"Matthew...doesn't the school offer Driver's Education?" Michaela wondered aloud, taking a sip of her milk.

"Yeah, Mom...but you know how those classes are..." he shrugged. "Nobody really gets enough one on one time with the instructor, especially when it comes to parking. I learned more from _Dad_ than I ever did in the class..."

Sully grinned at Michaela, in truth pleased and humbled by his adopted son's compliment, and registered the amused twinkle in her eye as he turned to the young man, murmuring, "Sure son, you tell her we'll get her ready for the test..."

"Okay great! ...Her mom's gonna drop her off over here in about an hour..." Matthew interjected, then his mouth formed his half grin at Sully's raised eyebrow. "I kinda figured you wouldn't say no."

Everyone chuckled as Sully teasingly threw his napkin across the table at his son.

"Well, that means we gotta get the outside chores done first," he admonished with a meaningful look.

"And don't forget to finish your Saturday chores, too," Michaela reminded gently.

Wiggling his eyebrows, Matthew wiped his mouth on his napkin and pushed back his chair. "Best get to 'em, then," he murmured, reaching to tickle his brother, as the boy couldn't resist reciting one more time, "Matthew's got a girlfriend!"

OOOOOOOOO

"How did it go?" Michaela asked with a smile as Sully, Matthew, and Ingrid trooped in the door for lunch several hours later.

"She did great," Matthew immediately returned with what could only be termed as a 'proud' grin.

Sully nodded as he leaned in to kiss his wife, slipping a hand up to caress her face. "Yeah, she did," he agreed, turning to give a wink to the young woman.

Ingrid shook her head shyly. "I don't think so...I couldn't get it perfect."

"Hardly anybody 'gets' parallel parkin' the first time, but you did fine. Really," Sully assured as he took the stack of plates from Michaela's hand and finished setting the table for her.

"Yeah. Just one or two more practices and you'll be ready for the test, right Dad?" Matthew reiterated, smiling at the beautiful young woman, both of them pausing perfectly still when their eyes met.

"Right, son," Sully agreed as he placed the last plate down.

"You're takin' to this just like you did to ridin' horses," Matthew complimented, wiggling his eyebrows at her, causing a blush to infuse her sweet face as she glanced away shyly.

Observing this exchange, Michaela met Sully's eyes for a meaningful gaze, both realizing their son was well on his way to being smitten with the pretty blond – and she with him.

Just then, the four heard the sound of many footsteps clomping down the stairs as the girls and Brian came down for lunch, followed by Jared Miller.

"I finished cleaning the windows upstairs, Dr. Mike," the young man announced as he rounded the bottom of the stairs. "Oh hey, guys," he continued. "How'd the driving practice go?" he asked his friends.

"Fine." "Great." The two young people answered simultaneously, glancing at each other with undisguised grins.

"Are you eating with us, Jared?" Michaela asked, smiling at their young friend.

"Not today, Dr. Mike. Gotta run some errands for my mom, before my _dad_ gets home," he replied as he moved toward the door.

"Alright. Well, we'll see you next Saturday, then."

"Yeah. See ya'll later," the boy answered, nodding at the family. Glancing at his school companions, he added, "See you guys Monday."

"So long, Jared," Matthew answered with a grin.

"I can't believe the difference in him," Ingrid remarked after he had shut the front door.

"Indeed," Michaela agreed, smiling at her husband as he met her eyes. "It turns out Jared just needed some positive influence in his life. He really is quite a nice young man," she added thoughtfully.

"The night he wrecked your ATV, I sure wouldn't have thought that," the young woman lamented.

"Me neither," Matthew agreed. "But like Mom said, he just needed somebody in his life to show him some things...somebody other than that _father_ of his..."

"Yeah..._Harv Miller_..." Ingrid murmured, a distasteful shiver running through her.

"Indeed," Michaela said again, everyone nodding in agreement as they thought about the foul tempered man.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Since it's warmer today, I thought I'd make the rounds of the acreage one last time before winter, just to make sure everything is shipshape," Sully mentioned as he took a bite of his lunch. "Give Prince a good workout while I'm at it."

"Make the rounds?" Matthew asked, dishing up some 'Sloppy Joe's' for himself and passing the bowl to Ingrid.

"Yeah, I wanna make sure everything is alright, that no one has snuck onto the property and done something that could cause a fire or dumped anything illegally, stuff like that," Sully explained.

"Well, how about me and Ingrid help you with that. It might be the last time we get to ride till spring..." the young man offered, meeting eyes with the young lady.

"Horses? I...I'm still not real sure on them, Matthew..." she began, but he interjected.

"Aw, you just need practice, and this would be perfect. Just riding along slow. That is...if it's okay?" he added, facing his father again.

Sully and Michaela exchanged glances and her brow furrowed as she tried to decipher the niggling fear the idea had kindled. Opening her mouth to argue against it, she changed her mind and gave a gentle shrug to acquiesce to her husband's opinion, figuring her overprotective nature was merely running amok due to her pregnancy.

"Well...I don't see why not," Sully decided. "I'll take the acreage on the other side of Hanover, and you guys can take this side. Good," he added, warming to the idea. "That way it'll get done twice as fast. Um...that is, if you _want_ to, Ingrid..." he added with a grin.

The girl looked between the two men and shrugged with a smile. "I guess so...I'll call my mom and tell her I'll be home later."

"Great!" Matthew declared, a little more forcefully than he should, clearing his throat and turning his attention to his plate as the others exchanged amused glances.

"May I go with you, Dad?" Colleen asked.

"And me!" Brian added excitedly.

"Well..." Sully began, glancing at his wife.

"Actually, that might work out well, because Hannah and I were thinking of making a little trip to the mall in town..." Michaela spoke up, exchanging grins with her blue-eyed daughter.

"Alright, then it's settled. Matthew and Ingrid will make the rounds of the north acreage and we'll go over the south," Sully agreed with a smile toward his blond haired kids.

"But...you'll have Brian on Prince with _you_..." Michaela added, a touch of worry in her voice.

Sully grinned and nodded, reaching for her hand and giving her fingers a quick kiss. "Yes, mama hen."

"Yay! I love ridin' the horses!" Brian cheered, thrilled at the prospect of spending time with his dad – even if he had to share him with one of his sisters.

OOOOOOOOO

Walking Michaela and Hannah to the Escalade a short while later, Sully pressed a slow, sweet kiss to his wife's lips, then leaned over to hug his daughter, exchanging kisses on cheeks before she scrambled over to the passenger seat.

"We'll be home in a few hours. How long will you be out with the kids?" Michaela asked as she settled herself behind the wheel.

"Oh...not more than three or four hours, I wouldn't think," he shrugged.

Looking up into his face thoughtfully, she asked, "Are you _sure_...about Matthew and Ingrid riding...I mean..."

"Yeah sure," he shrugged unconcernedly. "It's just ploddin' along on our own land, not even on the road. What could go wrong?" Sully asked with a grin.

A shiver ran through Michaela's body at her husband's words, but she determinedly ignored it. _Sully knows what he's doing. I trust his judgment implicitly..._

"Well...you'll be careful..." she automatically began, but clamped her mouth shut when he tilted his head and gave her that, 'Yes, mama hen' look. Chuckling softly, she shook her head and reached to start the motor. "Alright...see you in a few hours, then."

"Bye, sweetheart. Both of you," he added with a wink and a wave to his daughter.

"Bye Dad. Love you!" Hannah giggled and waved as the Escalade moved off down the drive.

The others filed out of the front door just then, and Sully turned to the group, welcoming his youngest in a hug against his side as Brian bounded down the porch steps to him.

After last minute instructions and checking to make sure Matthew had his tomahawk and his cell phone with him - _and_ it was charged up, everyone climbed aboard their horses and headed off in opposite directions, Wolf happily bounding off after Matthew and Ingrid.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela negotiated another turn on the way to the mall, chuckling at a remark her beautiful honey-haired daughter had made. Glancing over, she marveled again just how much the young girl resembled her handsome father – the same eyes of course, but Hannah also had similar cheekbones, Sully's smile, and her hair formed the same peak at the top of her forehead. Once again, the image of a child of their own swam to the forefront of her mind and she reached down to lay a loving hand over her lower belly, smiling as she wondered if Sully's genes would once again take predominance...

Smiling at her adopted daughter and bringing her mind back around to the conversation, she asked, "So, this new girl named Becky is nice?"

"Yeah, I like her a lot. Colleen does too," she added, then grinned big and laughed. "Mrs. Swigart has been calling us the Three Musketeers."

"Just as long as you don't start donning tall hats and mustaches!" Michaela joked, both females dissolving in giggles at the image.

As the miles rolled along, the two talked of many different things, each thoroughly enjoying the other's company.

Before long, they had reached the mall and Michaela parked the white SUV, walking with her daughter toward the entrance. She smiled down at the girl fondly when Hannah happily slipped her hand in hers and grinned up at her beautiful mother as they crossed the traffic lane.

This was a rare treat for Hannah, to have her wonderful new mother all to herself for a 'girls day out'. Although Hannah loved Colleen and was thrilled to have a sister that was her age and had similar tastes, it was kind of nice to have a parent's full attention – like it used to be when it was just she and her daddy. Plus having a mother like Michaela was truly a desire of her heart that God had granted. Sighing contentedly, the Bible verse they had memorized in Sunday School the week before came back to her mind, _Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass._ ~ Psalm 37:4-5. "He sure did!" she silently mused with a grin.

Mother and daughter spent the next several hours wandering through stores, trying on clothing (Michaela buying several maternity outfits), laughing together over some of the crazy styles, trying out jewelry and perfume, and of course accomplishing the reason for the trip – buying Hannah her first bras. Shy at first to let her mother see her without a shirt, Hannah eventually relaxed and by the time they chose the items to purchase, the young girl's shyness was gone, and she felt as comfortable as if Michaela had always been her mother.

Michaela, for her part, was feeling very much the same way, as well as fiercely proud to be able to call such an amazingly wonderful, bright and beautiful little girl her daughter.

Standing in line to pay for their purchases and listening as Hannah animatedly related something she had recently learned in school, Michaela thought back to a small entry in the old journal she had read just the night before and how much she truly identified with her ancestor...

_**April 24, 1868**_

_**Brian and Colleen have been asleep for some time now, and I'm sure Matthew is also, but I'm just sitting in front of the fire, my heart filled to bursting with a feeling that still seems so new to me. As I marveled earlier tonight over Colleen's passion for learning that so reminds me of myself – her endless questions and mature understanding of the answers - I realized that in the few short months since the children came to live with me, my feelings for them have blossomed to maternal proportions. When Colleen suffered frostbite and nearly lost her fingers – and especially when Brian jumped from the tree and I was forced to perform brain surgery on him to save his life – I felt such intense feelings of fear and love, just as if I had carried and given birth to them myself. The thought of Ethan Cooper taking them from me now...or anything happening to either one, or Matthew for that matter, fills me with such a sick dread that it is all I can do not to jump up right now and pace the floor in worry over 'unknowns' in the future... **_

"Mom? You're next," Hannah teased, jarring her mother out of her daydreaming, both chuckling as Michaela laid her purchases on the counter.

Exiting the store together several minutes later, Michaela asked, "I think I could use an ice cream cone, how about you?" Hannah readily agreed and they walked the few yards to the Baskin-Robbins on the upper level.

Sitting together a few minutes later, enjoying their treat, Hannah eyed her mother. "What were you thinking about a little while ago, Mom?"

Michaela smiled at her daughter, and reached out to gently caress her smooth, sweet face and guide a strand of hair behind her ear. "Just...how much I love you...truly as much as if...I had given birth to you myself..." she added softly, her eyes misting as they gazed into the vivid blue eyes of her daughter. Those eyes immediately misted as well, and Hannah leaned in to hug her mother tightly, for a moment unable to find her voice.

"I love you, too, Mama," she managed to whisper, stretching up to plant a kiss on Michaela's cheek. "And I'm so glad God gave you to me to be my mom." Pulling back and seeing what she'd done, she chuckled playfully. "And now I've played with _you_ what I used to play with _daddy_ all the time – sticky face!"

Michaela chuckled with her, leaning in to reciprocate. Then they both giggled as they wiped sticky ice cream residue off each other's cheeks.

After a few minutes, finishing their ice cream and sitting quietly while they watched mall patrons strolling together near the food court - in particular, couples in love - Michaela couldn't resist calling her husband on his cell phone to check in with him...in truth because she missed him and craved to hear his voice.

"I miss you..." she murmured softly when he answered.

Grinning, he brought Prince to a halt and murmured, "Miss you, too. Whatcha doin'?"

"Oh, just sitting here eating ice cream with one of my beautiful daughters. The one who is practically a clone of her father,' she added with a wink to the chuckling girl. Sully snickered at her statement.

Exchanging bits of news about the property and other comments, he asked as they prepared to ring off several minutes later, "You guys about done?"

"Yes, I think we've spent quite enough money today," Michaela replied, grinning at her giggling daughter as the girl took a long lick of her ice cream.

"Good. Heard we might be in for some bad weather, so I'd feel better if I knew you guys were safe at home," her worried husband added.

"Alright, sweetheart. We'll head that way in a few minutes," Michaela assured him, smiling as he murmured a private goodbye softly into the phone.

OOOOOOOOO

Matthew leaned over to hold a rusty gate open for Ingrid to nudge her horse past. Then urging his horse forward, he released it as Wolf scampered quickly through. Sidling up to Flash, the gentlest of the Sully horses, Michaela's favorite, and the one Matthew and Sully felt Ingrid could best handle, he gazed around at the rough land his father had yet to tidy up.

Turning to his riding partner as she pulled off her leather gloves and smoothed her blond hair back from her face, resettling on her head the straw hat Michaela had given her to protect her face from the warm November sun, he asked, "You doin' okay?"

"Yeah. Kind of thirsty, though," she answered, smiling at Matthew before allowing her gaze to roam their surroundings.

"Drink some water from your canteen," he reminded. "It sure is warm today...a lot warmer than normal for November..." he observed as he opened his canteen and downed a swig.

"Yeah...it's almost weird," she agreed, gulping down several large swallows of the cool water. "It's like the air feels...heavy," she added off-handedly.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she huffed a sigh, thinking the first two hours had been fun, and it had been great to be alone with Matthew like this – but she was beginning to get tired of sitting on a horse.

The two had talked of many things while plodding along side by side, and Matthew had explained the workings of the ranch and how his adoptive dad had acquired his horses, especially his incredibly beautiful black stallion. She was amazed at the scope of Matthew's knowledge, and awed that he seemed to be so accomplished in so many areas – as if he would be as comfortable in a big city as he was here on the ranch, which was true. The pretty blond wondered if he knew just how crazy she was about him as she watched him remove a glove and wipe his mouth with the back of his hand.

"How much farther do we have to go?" she finally asked.

"Um..." Matthew began, checking their surroundings. "We're about half way. There's a gully on the other side of this ridge I wanna check out to make sure nobody's dumped anything, plus an old cabin a little further, then we'll start circling back around."

"Alright," she nodded, drawing in a relaxing breath. "Gosh...sitting here on horseback, you could think this was the old west and we are miles and miles from civilization," Ingrid observed, turning her head to meet Matthew's eyes.

His blue eyes twinkled, thinking it would be awesome to be alone with Ingrid miles from anywhere – with no interruptions or pestering little sisters or brother. Sometimes on the bus, trying to talk to her, her younger sisters loved nothing better than to bother them with constant questions – not to mention Colleen, Hannah and Brian's interruptions.

"Yep," he answered her observation. "Sometimes when I'm out ridin' with Dad, I feel that way..." he paused, laughing as his cell phone began to ring. "But then something like this pulls me back to reality," he added as he took the phone off his belt, checked to see who it was, and pushed the talk button.

"Yeah, Dad," he answered.

"Matthew. How's it goin?" Sully asked.

"Great. Ain't seen anything out of the ordinary. We were stoppin' to take a rest," he explained, glancing with a grin at Ingrid, which she returned shyly.

"Okay. Where you guys at?"

"Just this side of the ridge before that gully near the old cabin."

"Alright. Well, keep a look out for dark clouds. I just got off the phone with Robert E. and he mentioned storms might be headed our way," Sully warned.

"Okay. I'll keep my eyes open," the young man assured his father. They exchanged a few more words before disconnecting.

Looking toward his beautiful riding companion, he asked, "You ready?"

She nodded, nudging her horse to follow his as he guided Shadow up to the crest of the tree-lined ridge.

OOOOOOOOO

"Gosh that's tall!" Brian exclaimed from his perch in front of his father, high atop of Prince's back.

"Yep. It's over two hundred feet tall to accommodate the hills around here. Though, I'm not sure what they do about Pike's Peak," Sully added as the three sat on the horses staring nearly straight up at the T-Mobile cell tower on the southwest corner of their property. The tower, made of steel girders and painted in large red and white stripes, was enclosed along with an equipment building within a shiny new chain length fence.

"I like the bushes," Colleen commented, referring to the evergreens lining the perimeter of the fence.

"Yeah, that was one of the requirements I held out for when I signed the deal, and I'm glad that they held up their end," Sully returned, glancing around with pleasure at the company's attempt to make the modern technological necessity blend into its surroundings.

"Dad, can cell towers be hit by lightning?" Colleen asked as she thought back to when he mentioned a storm was possible.

"Yeah, they do get hit, but they have lightning arresters, and we chose this spot because there are some tall trees nearby to help take the charge, plus it's fairly close to that school," Sully explained, pointing with his chin toward the building over his shoulder. "When a cell tower is struck by lightning, it deflects its electrical charge to the ground. The engineers know how to take care of that. If not, they'd be replacing their towers after every storm," he added with a grin.

"Wow, I guess you're right," the young girl mused, lowering her gaze from the tower to her brother, nestled safely within the circle of their father's arms high on the back of the large stallion. Her eyes then ran over their handsome father in his rugged jeans and 'ranch' clothing, his wavy hair fluffing in the breeze, his chiseled jaw jutting out as his head remained tilted back to view the tower. Noticing the ever-present tomahawk hanging within reach in its holder on his saddle, she felt a kind of 'hero' worship once again flood her heart as she gazed at him. When she was with him, she always felt so safe and protected – something she had never, ever felt with David. How lucky she was – they all were – to have Sully in their lives! At that moment, he turned toward her, smiling when he caught her gaze.

"You ready to move on?" he asked with a twinkle in his vivid blue eyes.

Colleen grinned and nodded.

"Good. There's a few more things I want to check out before we head back – provided that storm holds off long enough," he added, smoothly nudging Prince onward.

As Colleen followed suit and brought her horse up beside his, Sully turned his head to study her for a moment, well pleased with how proficient she had become in her riding. She was every bit as comfortable on horseback now as Hannah – as if she'd been doing it her whole life. She rode with ease and grace...much like another female in his life...her beautiful mother. He could already see in Colleen the makings of a lovely, accomplished young woman – and he felt every bit as proud and protective of her as he did of Hannah. Smiling to himself, he thought, _Heaven help any boy who ever tries to hurt her._

"What things, Dad?" Brian asked, craning his neck to look up at his father's face, thinking no boy in the world had a more awesome father than he did. _I wanna grow up to be just like him..._the boy mused with a dreamy grin. _He's so strong...and smart...there's nothin' he don't know..._

"Oh, there's a couple of places people have dumped junk in before that I wanna check in the Southeast section, and make sure the signs sayin', "No Dumping" are still up, for starters," Sully answered, glancing down into his little boy's face and recognizing the absolute 'hero worship' radiating there. _I dread that inevitable day when I become less of a 'hero' in those eyes..._he mused silently as he gave his son a loving squeeze and gentle smile.

"Can I hold the reins?" Brian asked excitedly.

"Sure, son," Sully murmured with an indulgent smile, placing Prince's reins in Brian's small hands and adjusting them for control.

"Not too tight...that's good...keep 'em steady," he encouraged as they plodded along.

OOOOOOOOO

Matthew and Ingrid brought Shadow and Flash to a stop in front of an old abandoned log cabin. Ingrid sat on her horse, eying the dilapidated structure as Matthew dismounted.

"My gosh...it looks like it might fall down," she murmured, her eyes sweeping the one room cabin's broken windows and missing doors.

"Yeah, it's in pretty bad shape, alright," he agreed as he swung himself lithely down from the saddle.

"Are you all going to tear it down?" the girl asked, carefully dismounting and moving to Matthew's side.

"No, actually, we're gonna fix it up. Dad wants to keep it for emergencies...and kind of for history's sake," he answered, his eyes surveying the brush and weeds around them and the building, especially for any kind of snake, as Wolf patrolled the property, finally darting into the open door.

"Do you know how old it is?" she asked, crossing her jacketed arms over her chest as a slight breeze kicked up.

"Dad thinks it was built in the 1800's...probably a trapper's cabin or something...or maybe even belonged to someone in the family at one time. Not sure, though."

Surveying the structure with slight trepidation, the girl asked, "Have you been _in_ there?"

"Once, but not for long...wanna see inside?" he asked with a grin, taking her hand before she could answer and tugging her along behind him as he stepped through the open front doorway.

Cobwebs galore decorated the inside, and plenty of dust, leaves, and other accumulated debris from decades of neglect, although it did show signs of being repaired and refurbished at one time.

Stepping over, Matthew reached down and righted a wooden table, found a rag and smacked some of the dust off of it, then righted a wooden chair and set it at the table. Then, each spent the next little while carefully picking through the sparse items left in the structure, showing each other anything they found of interest.

Ingrid wandered toward the large creek stone fireplace, noticing an empty hook wedged in the stones above the mantel, and wondered what used to have a prominent place there in days gone by.

"I wonder who lived here...a trapper? Or a young couple..."

Matthew approached, noticing an old firewood box to the side. Opening it carefully, he reached inside when a bit of color caught his eye.

"Hey look at this...think this was a kid's toy or something?" he asked, turning the item in his hand. Ingrid reached out and gently took it from him, studying it closer.

"Yeah...looks like it might have been a baby's rattle," she answered softly. Turning slowly with it in her hand, she surveyed the interior of the cabin, then closing her eyes enough that her lashes filtered her sight, she tried to imagine what it must have been like when it was newly built and furnished. How the wood smelled when it was fresh and how the warmth from the fire made everything feel cozy.

"Oh Matthew, imagine a snowy winter night, the mother rocking her baby in her arms, standing in front of the fireplace while her husband sat at the table carving a rattle for his baby girl..." the young woman mused dreamily.

"Yeah..." Matthew mused, imagining such a scene... the images quickly transforming into he and Ingrid as the couple, a sweet, tiny blond baby girl in her arms.

"I bet she cooked right here in the fireplace..." Ingrid offered, turning slowly back around to gaze down at it, deep in thought.

"Yep, we've got one of those old cookin' pots and a hanger in the kitchen fireplace at home," Matthew agreed as he pictured the scene.

"I wonder what their names were..." Ingrid wondered aloud, closing her eyes as the scene became real and clear in her mind.

"Oh, could have been anything...could have even been...something like ours..." he ventured, glancing at her face to see her reaction.

Grinning, she lowered herself down to sit on the hearth, reaching her arm forward and pretending to 'stir' a large pot of stew.

Playfully turning toward him, Ingrid raised an imaginary baby in her arms, bouncing the 'child' and saying to Matthew in an exaggerated accent reminiscent of her Scandinavian grandmother, "Mawtew...de baby...she vill not stop cry-ing...please hurry vit de rattle, my hoozbond!"

Chuckling and jumping into the game with a large grin, Matthew took the old toy from her hand and plopped down in the chair at the table, taking up an imaginary knife to 'whittle' on the item. Wolf trotted over to see what he was doing, stretching up to bless him with a slurp on his cheek. Matthew pushed the dog gently away with a chuckle. "Jus' one mor' minute and I think I got it, Ingred. Hol' on thar, little 'un," he grinned at his imaginary baby daughter.

Then jumping up from the table, he crossed back to his 'wife and baby', 'rattling' the broken toy gleefully in the 'infant's' face. "Thar ya go, sweet girl. Ya stop ya cryin' now. Papa's made it all better," he added with a silly grin at the 'baby' in her arms.

"Dat's goot, Mawtew. Ve can eat dis venison stew in peace aund quiet, now..." Ingrid gushed playfully, grinning at him and batting her eyes as Matthew leaned in to 'kiss' the imaginary baby's cheek.

He stopped short, suddenly self-conscious, and pulled back a little, gazing into Ingrid's face only inches from his. His eyes were immediately drawn to her mouth and he had the strongest desire to lean in and kiss her...in fact...she seemed to be leaning toward him too – until a strong gust of wind blew through the open door, swirling the dust and leaves around.

The moment disrupted, the teens chuckled self-consciously and backed up a bit. Matthew awkwardly laid the toy up on the mantel.

Ingrid laughed, the sweet tinkling sound music to the young man's ears. "Yeah...I bet that's just how it was..."

Matthew cleared his throat a little awkwardly. "Yeah...but I wonder if it was as nice back then as we imagine...or would we miss things like running water, electricity, and TV," he grinned, instantly turning his head and reaching a hand protectively toward her as another, stronger gust of wind blew in, which set Wolf to barking.

"Hey...I forgot about that storm Dad mentioned..." he began, moving swiftly to the door and looking out. His eyes grew large as he saw the huge black storm clouds quickly advancing in their direction.

"_Dang_ it...we better be gettin' back. That storm's movin' in quick! Come on, let's go," he ordered, taking her hand as they ran out and quickly mounted their horses.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela held the outer door of the mall open for Hannah as they emerged thirty minutes after her conversation with Sully. Gusty wind whipped her long hair around wildly, the gust so strong that it nearly knocked them both sideways and they reached out to each other.

"Oh my goodness! Perhaps we should have left sooner," Michaela gasped as she wrapped her arm around her daughter, both of them battling with the wind to hold on to their bags and purchases.

"Let's get home, Mama," Hannah gasped as they hurried quickly to the Escalade, Michaela managing to fight against the wind and open the back door, getting their bags inside quickly as Hannah climbed into the passenger seat. Then rounding the vehicle hurriedly and sliding behind the wheel, Michaela wasted no time putting the SUV in gear and moving.

"Buckle up tight, sweetheart," she ordered her daughter even as she buckled herself in, glancing up through the windshield and windows at the roiling dark and angry clouds.

As she turned the Escalade toward home, she prayed a quick prayer that they could stay ahead of the storm.

OOOOOOOOO

The wind had been picking up steadily as Sully, Colleen and Brian made their way through a dense stand of trees, bushes, and brush. As they broke through the outer edge, the force of the wind hit them full on and the three gasped in surprise. Sully immediately wanted to kick himself for not heeding his own cautions and heading home thirty minutes sooner.

Tightening his hold on Brian and quickly taking the reins from the boy as Prince tried to side step, he turned his head to lock eyes with Colleen.

"Keep your head, honey. Make sure your heels stay down and keep a firm hold on Molly's reins. Let's get home as quick as we can," he instructed as he gave Prince a firm nudge.

Colleen swallowed dryly. "Okay, Daddy," she squeaked, glancing nervously around at the tree limbs blowing in the wind as she nudged her horse firmly to follow her father and brother.

Turning the collar of his lightweight jacket up against the wind, Sully said a quick prayer for the safety of his son and their friend, and another that his wife and daughter had heeded his warning and were already safe in their home, waiting for him.

OOOOOOOOO

Minutes later, Matthew and Ingrid were battling the elements – and Ingrid was fighting to stay in the saddle. Flash, normally a calm horse, had turned skittish and nervous. The fear she could feel within her rider only made things worse as she remembered the storm she had experienced more than a year ago, and the extremely close lightning strike that had caused Michaela to fall and get injured.

Lightning flashed nearly above them as huge rain drops began to pelt down.

"Oh Matthew! What should we do?" Ingrid yelled to him as her hat blew from her head.

Before he could answer, thunder cracked loudly nearby.

"Hang on!" Matthew yelled instantly as Flash reacted, rearing up on her hind legs and whinnying in fright.

"Matthew!" Ingrid shrieked into the wind, fear nearly paralyzing her limbs as she squealed and clawed at the saddle horn, losing hold of the reins in the process and barely keeping her seat.

Matthew could tell Ingrid, and Flash, as well, were one step away from mind-numbing panic, and glancing up at the monstrous storm clouds rumbling overhead and as far as he could view, he knew it would be a miracle for them to keep their heads all the way back to the house. Being the more experienced rider, he knew it was up to him to get them all back safe and sound.

Remembering what his father had done in a similar situation, Matthew made a quick decision. Maneuvering his larger horse up next to Flash, he reached out and clamped one arm firmly around Ingrid's waist and hauled her clear off her mount, depositing the girl sideways in front of him as she squealed in surprise.

Then leaning over, he slapped Flash on her rear flank. "Home, Flash! Go!" he hollered at the horse. She wasted no time in obeying the familiar word, kicking up her hooves and taking off in the direction of her warm, safe barn. "Wolf, go with her, boy!" he added firmly, watching as the dog immediately obeyed, chasing after the frightened and fleeing horse.

"Matthew!" Ingrid squeaked as she clutched at the front of his jacket, trying to keep her balance and hide her face from the cold rain.

"There's a place nearby we can take shelter till this passes," he responded loudly, above the noise of the storm, as he urged Shadow around and in the other direction. "Just hang on to me, you'll be alright," he soothed as she clung to him, bouncing uncomfortably as the horse trotted quickly on its way.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela turned the wipers up to high, leaning forward and squinting to see through the deluge as she negotiated the turn into their driveway, barely aided by her headlights on high beam. Hannah held on tight to the door handle and the dash, cringing as the trees overhead swayed and bent wildly as the vehicle passed under them and quickly continued down the drive. Immediately after they passed through, a limb blew down across the electric wires, instantly causing a loud pop and a bright flash as it shorted them out.

Pulling the SUV quickly up to the house and making a mental note to speak to Sully about clearing a place for the vehicle inside the cluttered garage, Michaela turned off the motor and blew the horn, expecting her husband to emerge from the house with the large black umbrella and come to their rescue. After a few moments and he didn't come out, she turned to her daughter.

"I'll come around and get you," she assured over the loud noise of the lightning, thunder, rain and wind.

"Okay, Mom," Hannah squeaked as Michaela jumped out of the driver's door and slammed it shut, hurrying against the wind as she rounded the vehicle and clawed at the passenger door's handle, the rain and wind lashing wildly at her hair. The door popped open as Hannah released it from the inside, jumping out and huddling against her mother as Michaela tried her best to protect her from the brunt of the storm, both of them squealing in reaction to the cold rain pelting their hair and faces.

Together they dashed up the steps and Michaela yanked the front door open, ushering the young girl inside.

Shutting the door against the wind, the harried mom turned to her daughter and they chuckled together in relief.

"We made it!" the girl gasped, hugging her mother around her middle as they paused to catch their breaths.

"Yes, thank goodness," Michaela responded as more lightning lit the dark interior of the house and thunder sounded nearby.

Turning, she called, "Sully? Matthew?" assuming they were upstairs and wondering why they hadn't come down to meet them.

But, no familiar voice answered in the shadowy house.

Her eyes widening in realization, Michaela hugged her daughter close and turned her head to gaze out the window at the lashing rain, her joy at being safe inside their home quickly turned to worry as she realized her family was still out there in the storm.


	4. Ignoring the Signs, Part 2

**CHAPTER 4 - Ignoring the Signs, Part 2**

"Maybe they're in the barn," Hannah offered hopefully after she removed her jacket. Running to the front window, she reached out to touch the cold panes of glass with her fingertips, straining to see through the rain. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked loudly, causing the girl to cringe and lean back a bit.

"I'm sure that's it..." Michaela answered cheerfully, determined to remain calm and take care of matters at hand. Hanging up her jacket and stepping through the kitchen to the dryer in the alcove by the back door, she reached in and took out two freshly laundered bath towels. Returning to the front room, she called to her daughter to come and get dried off from the rain.

Hannah obediently went to her mom, drying her face on the towel as Michaela lovingly rubbed the moisture from her hair, both of them cringing as another loud clap of thunder sounded nearby.

Looking into each other's eyes worriedly, Michaela murmured, "My goodness...it's right overhead..." Hannah swallowed nervously and nodded.

Drying her own face and hair, Michaela made her way to the front window, gazing out as her daughter had done to try and ascertain if her husband and family were indeed inside the closed barn. She could see no sign of movement, nor any lights on inside, not even the soft light of a lantern.

The anxious feeling she had been trying to ignore since she and Hannah had emerged from the mall to encounter the strong wind of the approaching storm, rose to take hold of her heart as she imagined her loved ones struggling to get home on horseback, at the mercy of the elements. She imagined Brian and Colleen being lashed by the rain and wind...Ingrid terrified and struggling to stay in the saddle...Sully and Matthew frantically using all of their skills to try and provide protection and find a place to shelter. She wondered why Sully had warned her about the storm, but wasn't home himself yet...

Turning, she reached for her purse, murmuring, "I'm going to call your father..." as she quickly retrieved her cell phone and pressed his number.

Hannah came near, watching her mother's face as she waited for Sully to answer. Two rings...three...four...then the voice mail greeting came on with his beloved, masculine voice and the sweet message she normally adored. _"You've reached Sully – husband to Michaela, father to Matthew, Colleen, Hannah & Brian. I can't answer the phone right now, but if you leave a message, I'll get back to ya...and if it's __you__, babe...I love ya more than the law should allow."_

Michaela shut her eyes as she listened to his smooth, deep, familiar voice, smiling wistfully as she waited for the beep, then blurted, "Sully! Where _are_ you? Hannah and I are home, we just barely made it as the storm started. Matthew isn't home yet either. I'm worried, sweetheart...call me, please!" she added urgently. Looking into her daughter's eyes, she added, "We love you..." before disconnecting.

"Call Matthew!" Hannah exclaimed, worried now as she tried to imagine what it would be like on horseback in a downpour.

Michaela nodded and dialed Matthew's phone, achieving the same result – his voice mail. She left an urgent message for him, also, before slipping the phone into a pocket and shrugging to her daughter's silent query.

Suddenly and without warning, a loud clattering began. Alarmed, Michaela reached out and pulled Hannah into her arms, her heart beginning to pound as the house was bombarded with thousands of hailstones.

"Oh my gosh! Hail!" Hannah squealed above the cacophony. Both females looked frantically around the space at each of the windows, afraid they might actually break from being pelted by the balls of ice. Michaela quickly tried to decide what, if anything, she could do, wishing heartily that the shutters were closed against the onslaught.

"Let's get under the steps, just for safety in case of any flying glass," she yelled over the noise. Hannah nodded, her eyes wide with fear as they scrambled over to the stairway, wedging themselves underneath and wrapping their arms around each other.

"Do you think it'll break the windows?" Hannah squealed in fright, hiding her face against her mother's chest as lightning flashed brightly, thunder clapped, and hail beat against the house as if it were trying to get inside at them.

"I hope not!" Michaela answered, feeling totally helpless to protect her home and wishing with all her heart that they were in Sully's strong arms at that moment.

Then, as if things couldn't get any worse...above the cacophony of noise, Michaela heard the sound of the Emergency Siren just a mile from the house.

Her heart in her throat, terrified for their home, her family who knows where, and for herself and Hannah, she gasped, "The tornado siren! Hannah, hurry! We must go to the cellar!"

Hannah squealed again in fright and scrambled with her mother out from under the stairs as the noise and racket increased even more, both of them hearing the nerve-wracking wail of the siren so close by – its piercing tone sending shivers through each of their bodies. Trembling with mortal fear, they hurried around the kitchen fireplace to the trap door in the floor by the front door. Michaela threw back the rug and reached down, but realizing she shouldn't try to lift the heavy door alone, she yelled to her daughter above the noise, "Honey, help me lift it!"

Hannah quickly reached down and together they lifted the heavy wooden door, propping it back against its chains.

"Be careful going down!" Michaela cautioned as Hannah shakily descended into the dark cellar, tears of fear nearly blinding her as Michaela followed close behind, pulling the door shut as she went.

In the cool darkness of the stone lined room, the level of noise only slightly muffled, Hannah whimpered as Michaela managed to fumble around and find the matches, lighting the kerosene lamp Sully kept there for emergencies. As it illuminated the space, easing their fears a trifle, Michaela grabbed Hannah's hand and pulled her down beside her against the inside wall next to the freezer.

Wrapping her arms again around her mother, Hannah whimpered, "Mama...I'm so scared...should we pray?"

Anxious tears sprang to Michaela's eyes as she nodded, "Yes, honey. Pray very hard."

Closing their eyes, the two females begged God to watch over them, the house, and their loved ones somewhere _out there _as Michaela wished with all her heart that Sully would burst through the door upstairs, or call and let her know they were all right.

...And though fear and anxiety gripped her heart and mind, she had no idea the battle her husband was fighting at that moment.

OOOOOOOOO

Colleen squealed as the rain, which had begun in earnest, quickly drenched her hair, jacket and pants. They had been riding as fast as they could safely go, facing into the wind and trying to beat the rain, but it would still take at least twenty minutes hard riding to reach home.

At the sound of his daughter's squeal, Sully turned in the saddle, pulling back on the reins a bit to let her catch up.

"Ya okay, honey?" he yelled concernedly, trying to protect Brian from the bulk of the deluge.

"Yeah...cold and...tired...but I'll make it," she answered bravely, her teeth chattering, and received a proud and loving grin from her father.

"That's my girl," he answered with a wink, cringing when a sudden burst of lightning and thunder erupted. Their horses startled.

"We've gotta find some kind of shelter!" he yelled to her and she nodded, kicking her horse to follow after her father and Prince.

Sully looked around anxiously, but there was absolutely nowhere to take shelter. This tract of land was flat, with no trees, only weeds and fence after fence that the horses would have to jump over or wait for a gate to be opened. _Why didn't I take the kids and cut over to the road?_ He groused silently, calling himself a few choice words and hoping his blunder didn't result in the kids getting sick from being out in the cold rain.

Scanning the horizon, he estimated the low hanging blue/black storm clouds were over a mile wide and even longer in length, stretching from their position, past Hanover and their house, and farther. He'd never seen such a storm form so quickly!

They rode on for a few more minutes, trying to shield themselves from the wind and rain, and cringing with every bright flash of lightning and crash of thunder. Sully had just turned his head to holler encouragement to Colleen when Brian squealed in pain. Whipping his head back around to see what was the matter, Sully winced as he felt something hard hit him on top of his head and both his hands the same moment he heard Colleen scream.

_Oh my God...hail! _Sully agonized, his heart in his throat as he imagined his children battered by an onslaught of frozen balls of ice. Just then, he spotted an old rusty tractor about ten yards ahead, nearly hidden in high weeds.

"Daddy!" Colleen screamed as the hailstones increased in number, and Sully reached over, grabbing her reins as he yelled, "Hold on, honey!"

Cantering the short distance, he jerked the horses to a stop and quickly slid from the saddle, taking a squealing Brian with him as the hailstones pelted the frightened travelers. A second later, Sully reached up and hauled Colleen off her saddle. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against him as the ice pellets rained down on them, both kids squealing in fright and pain as lightning flashed and thunder crashed overhead.

Wasting no time, Sully ran to the tractor, sliding to his knees with a child under each arm and quickly urged them under the old vehicle...but there was no room for _him_. What was even worse, the narrow, antique piece of farm equipment, empty of its motor leaving a gaping hole in the middle, just barely provided any protection at all from the suddenly horrendous hailstorm.

The most important thing in the world to Sully at that moment was protecting the two small lives entrusted to his care, so without a second's hesitation, he pulled them to his chest and hunkered forward over them, taking the brunt of the attack with his own body. Only his head was protected under the tractor's carcass.

Gritting his teeth against the pain of hundreds of ping pong ball sized hailstones pelting his shoulders, back and legs, he tried to murmur comforting words to his terrified kids, who were cringing and whimpering each time the thunder crashed. The noise of the hailstones that managed to hit the tractor's shell was deafening. Vaguely, Sully wondered if the horses had taken off, but he dared not turn his head to look. There was nothing for it but to wait it out.

Then, the unthinkable occurred – all three, already frightened, wet, and shivering, heard the unmistakable wail of the Emergency Siren begin.

_Not a tornado, too!_ Sully moaned silently, his teeth grinding with the nearly continuous assault of the ice balls.

"Daddy!" Brian squealed, more frightened than he'd ever been in his life as he clutched at his father's jacket and pressed his face to Sully's chest.

"The siren, Daddy!" Colleen screamed above the noise. "A tornado!"

"Sshh, hang on now...hold on..." Sully tried to soothe, though his heart was pounding nearly out of his chest.

Closing his eyes in desperation, Sully prayed harder than he ever had in his life, "Oh God, get us out of this...make the hail stop...please God! Help us! ... And protect the house and the family..._especially Michaela and the baby..._" he added silently, the thought of her injured or worse – him coming back to find her dead or bleeding, tore at his heart – _I should be there with her! I should have got us back to the house sooner! What was I THINKING?_

Within seconds, the hail began slowing to a stop, leaving behind only the rain and hundreds of white, glittering balls of ice on the ground around the three shivering people.

OOOOOOOOO

Shadow burst through the tree line with his tired and wet passengers clutched together as the rain beat down.

"There!" Matthew shouted above the noise, and Ingrid tried to turn and see what he meant.

He urged the horse quickly forward, cantering up to the beach hut at the family's private pond just as the first hard hailstone came out of the sky, striking Shadow on the ear and almost causing him to rear.

Another hailstone hit, then another, striking both Ingrid and Matthew as he jumped from Shadow's back, and reached up for her. She slid immediately into his arms, and the two ran for the small hut's locked double doors.

Wishing they had thought to build a porch over the door, Matthew cringed as dozens of ice balls began to rain down on them. Ingrid quickly removed her jacket and held it above her head, squealing and cowering under the attack as Matthew scrambled to find the fake rock that held the spare key to the padlock on the door.

"Ow! _Dang_ it!" He shouted as the hard balls struck his head and hands.

"Hurry!" Ingrid encouraged frantically, trying not to continually squeal in fright as the deluge became more intense, balls bouncing off the sturdy gable roof of the hut and thwacking them with curious accuracy.

"I can't find the _key_!" he shouted in frustration, turning over first one rock and then another, wincing and muttering loudly as the hailstones increased. Then, blessedly, he found the right rock, picked it up and slid the trap door open, and tipped the key into his hand.

Within seconds, Matthew had the key in the lock, flipped the hasp and yanked one of the double doors open for Ingrid to slip through, with him directly on her heels. He shut the door firmly behind them just as the volume intensified to deafening proportions.

In pure reaction, the teens fell into each other's arms, panting in relief, watching through the windows wide-eyed at the incredible, nearly solid white, glittering shower of ice balls, bouncing every which way and beginning to cover every surface. It struck them both that it would have been curiously beautiful if the situation were different.

Outside of their protective haven, Shadow reared up in fright, never having been exposed to a hailstorm before, and wheeled around, bolting for the safety of his barn home.

"Shadow!" Matthew hollered, but of course, the horse neither heard nor slowed.

"_Dang_ it!" The young man griped, watching their remaining transportation gallop out of sight.

Ingrid gazed at her companion quietly as she stepped out of his arms, watching him fume and drag his hand through his hair in frustration.

"I guess I don't blame him...I wouldn't want to be stuck out there _either_," she commented loudly, so he could hear her over the horrendous noise.

Matthew huffed a sigh and shook his head. "True...me either."

The teens watched balls of ice bounce and ricochet off of the long, curved deck surrounding the pond, the arched bridge over the creek, rocks, trees, and the roof of the gazebo.

"Man, I loved it here before, but I never thought it would practically save my _life_..." Matthew reflected over the formidable noise of the storm. They both cringed and stepped back from the windows as the lightning increased and the thunder clapped frighteningly.

The young man turned to say something to his companion, but before he could, both pairs of eyes widened as they distinctly heard the wail of the Emergency Siren start up – quite loud as it was only about a half mile from where they were.

"Matthew...a _tornado_?" Ingrid gasped. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked to him for guidance, squealing, "What should we _do_?"

Matthew glanced around, racking his brain for an idea. "Um...all right..." he began, striving to stay calm and _think_ as he tried his best to emulate what his wise, levelheaded dad would do in the situation. "It might pass over...we'll just stay in here and if we see a tornado is headed toward us we'll...um..." he stammered in hesitation. "I know!" he exclaimed as an idea surfaced. "There's a hot spring right over there with a good-sized rock ledge. If we have to, we'll get in the water and hide under the ledge until it passes...okay?" he asked, stepping toward her and placing his hands on her arms. She nodded shakily.

"I...I'm scared," she admitted, loud enough to be heard over the cacophony as she stared into his eyes, hers shining with nervous tears.

"Yeah...me too," he admitted. "But, we'll be alright," he added, pulling her gently into his arms for a comforting hug, while hoping he was speaking the truth. He closed his eyes, wondering briefly if his father ever felt unsure of himself or his decisions while maintaining calm assuredness for his wife and children's sake. The thought made Matthew's opinion of his wonderful father escalate even higher.

Ingrid closed her eyes, feeling much safer standing in the circle of Matthew's strong arms. Standing there, she realized...she was truly crazy about Matthew Sully. She just hoped he was falling for her, too – _and_ that they lived through this afternoon to tell each other so!

"Hey...listen..." he added after a few moments, realizing that the decibel level of the hailstone noise seemed to be slowing, though the wind, rain, thunder, and siren were still loud. "The hail's stopping."

Ingrid swallowed dryly and nodded as she pulled back from him and wrapped her arms around herself again, starting to shiver both from nerves and cold, glancing around at the windows. "Yeah...that's _something_ at least..."

Matthew noticed her action and quickly grabbed several towels from the table against the wall, handing her one.

"Here...put this around you, and stand at that window...watch for anything that looks like a tornado. I'll watch from this one..." he said over the noise as he wrapped a big, thick towel around his shoulders and she did likewise. Each stood vigil for the next few minutes, cowering back from extra bright flashes or loud cracks of thunder, their eyes scanning the sky for the makings of a funnel cloud.

Suddenly, Ingrid leaned into the window, fingertips on the glass, as she strained to see through the gloom and the rivulets of rain.

"Matthew...I think I see one!" she exclaimed in fright, moving to the side as he dashed to her window. Sure enough, high in the sky, the clouds seemed to be forming into a makeshift funnel.

"Okay...we ain't waiting to see if it touches down or not...let's _go_," he decided, grabbing her hand with one of his and wrenching the door open with the other. Dropping their towels aside, Matthew remembered to take important things out of his pockets, plus his cell phone, and leave them on the table by the door. Then shutting it securely, they dashed together through the downpour to the small hot spring.

Matthew crouched down and jumped into the warm water, offering his hands to help his companion. She took both his hands and jumped in, and together they lowered down into the wonderfully warm water until it was up to their chins, positioning themselves under the sturdy rock outcropping.

Wrapping his outer arm around the girl, Matthew looked into her eyes, only inches from his, though he could barely see them in the shadow under the ledge.

"Ingrid...I'm sorry I got ya into this..." he murmured sheepishly.

She swallowed shyly and shook her head, murmuring, "You didn't...I wanted to come."

"Still...if anything happens...well...I want you to know that I...I care about ya. If you get hurt, I..." he stammered to a halt awkwardly, wondering how she would take his confession. He didn't have long to wait.

Smiling, she murmured, "I care about _you_, too...very much."

He smiled in return, leaning his head against hers as they weathered the storm together, the wind making the water in the spring slosh and sway.

As the noise of the storm grew even louder, trees around them bending and swaying in the wind, Matthew murmured, "If a tornado touches down and comes toward us, we'll duck down in the water as deep as we can and hope it passes quick."

She nodded nervously.

"I hope my family all made it home safe," he murmured softly, mostly to himself.

Listening to the thunder, wind, rain, and the awful wail of the siren, Ingrid asked hesitantly, "Matthew?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we should _pray_..."

"That's probably a good idea," he agreed. Reaching for her hand, they both shut their eyes, praying hard for their own safety, and for that of their families.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela sat with her back to the cellar's stone wall, humming softly as she pressed her lips to Hannah's hair, the young girl wrapped comfortably in her arms. They were both wrapped in a soft, warm blanket she had thought to leave down there for just such a need.

It had been some minutes since the noise of the storm had lessoned, and she had been very glad not to hear anything that sounded like a freight train, as people often said tornadoes resemble. The siren had slowed to a stop, and now all she could hear outside the cool stone walls of their sanctuary were steady rain and the occasional boom of thunder, though from farther away.

As she sat in the soft light from the kerosene lamp, holding one of her daughters in her arms, her mind was on her husband and other children. _Where are they? Did they suffer in the hailstorm, or did they find shelter? Are they injured? Why don't they call me? ...Why doesn't HE call me? Oh Sully...where are you...I miss you so..._

Finally rousing from her worrisome thoughts, Michaela shook herself and determinedly pasted on a confident smile.

Gently pulling out of their hold, she smiled into Hannah's blue eyes, lovingly smoothing her hair back from her face. The girl smiled back, leaning into the loving touch.

"It sounds like the worst is over...we could probably go back up now," Michaela offered.

"Yeah...I hope the others are alright..." Hannah admitted softly.

"I'm sure they are...I'm sure they'll be home in just a few minutes," she stated with a nod of sincerity. "Come on, let's go on back up."

Pushing together to lift the heavy door, Michaela set the lantern on the floor and ascended the ladder, as did Hannah, and then they managed to get the door closed again.

Glancing around, immensely grateful to God that her home was indeed intact, she went to the window and peered out at the barn and yard. Although small and medium sized limbs littered the yard, and what appeared to be some broken slats from the barn's walls, things seemed pretty much in order out there, as well. Walking to the kitchen's side window, she focused hard, searching for movement anywhere on the drive indicating the return of her loved ones, but saw none.

Turning slowly, worry clouding her features, she found Hannah watching her.

"Don't worry, Mama. Daddy can take care of himself through _anything_! Matthew, too," she encouraged in that mature way of hers, so like her father. "And I'm sure Colleen and Brian are alright. They probably just found someplace to hide until the storm was over."

Michaela purposefully brightened, saying in a normal tone, "I'm sure you're right, sweetheart. Why don't you gather up all of the lanterns for me and we'll see about letting some light dispel some of these shadows?"

"Alright, Mama," the girl automatically answered, grinning in relief that her mother did not appear as worried as she took off around the rooms with a flashlight, looking for the lanterns.

Michaela rummaged under the sink for the lamp oil and placed paper towels on the table, topping off each lantern as Hannah found them. Soon, a warm, cozy glow filled the downstairs, causing both females to simultaneously sigh with relief.

"I suppose we should see about making a fire...take some of the chill out of the room, hmm?"

Hannah nodded, and being an experienced fire-setter, helped her mother set and light first the living room hearth and then the one in the kitchen.

Michaela stood up and began wiping her hands on a towel. "Well, are you hungry? We could..." she began, pausing when she heard the unmistakable sound of a horse's whinny.

"Sully!" she gasped hopefully, running to the door and throwing it open, only to find Flash, standing in the rain next to the closed paddock gate, quivering, Wolf next to her, both looking like they had been through an ordeal.

"Matthew? Ingrid?" she called as she came out on the porch, wrapping her arms around herself in the damp breeze. Not wanting to let herself think what this could mean, she turned to her daughter.

"We should get her into the barn."

"Okay, Mama," the girl replied, darting quickly inside and returning with both of their jackets. Holding their jackets over their heads, after Michaela made sure the door was securely shut, the two fought their way out to the still frightened horse.

"Get the gate open, Hannah, and then the barn door. I'll bring her in," Michaela yelled above the wind and rain. The girl obeyed quickly.

Michaela managed to grasp Flash's reins, and with Wolf's help, was able to guide the tired, still skittish horse inside the dark barn.

"Shut the door and light the lamps, please, sweetheart?" Michaela requested, as she held tight to the animal's reins.

The lamps lit, Michaela guided the horse into her stall. Unable to heft the weighty saddle, she managed to get it unbuckled and pulled it to the ground, then quickly threw a blanket over the horse's back, rubbing her down the way she had seen Sully do so many times.

"There, there, Flash. Sweet girl. You're home now. You're safe," she crooned softly in the quivering horse's ear, rubbing the water and debris from her coat. She noticed the horse seemed to react when her hands rubbed the top of her back, near her hindquarters. Michaela quickly deduced she had been caught in the open during the hailstorm.

Hannah brought the filly some fresh hay and water, stepping carefully into the stall and helping her mother rub down the exhausted horse. They worked together many minutes in silence, other than to continue speaking in soft tones to the skittish animal.

"She's calming down...I think she's going to be all right," Michaela observed gratefully, wondering, however, just where her rider was at that moment.

Just then, Hannah saw a dark shape out the barn's window.

"Shadow!" she exclaimed, shinnying through the rungs of the stall and rushing to the large swinging door.

"Matthew?" she called, looking in both directions. The horse made his way through the still open gate and on into the barn, seeming very grateful to have made it back to his home.

Then before Hannah could open his stall to allow him entrance, she glanced down the driveway to see Colleen's horse, Molly, trotting toward them.

Unable to hold back any longer, Hannah exclaimed nearly in tears, "Mom...where _is_ everybody? The horses are all coming back without them!"

"I don't know, Hannah...perhaps they sent the horses on home because the shelters they found wouldn't accommodate them..." she offered optimistically.

"...Yeah," the girl murmured, sniffling softly, and hoping her mother was right as they led both horses to their stalls, wrestled their saddles off and set about bringing fresh water and hay for them. Beginning to rub Molly down as Michaela worked on Shadow, the girl standing on a stool, Hannah paused and looked closely at the horse's back.

"Mom, look...blood..."

Michaela stepped around the partition and examined the abrasion, several in fact. "Yes...it looks as if pieces of hail repeatedly hit the same bony prominences, finally managing to break through. When your father returns...we'll tell him about it, so that he can take care of her," she added softly, inwardly thinking, _I hope that is soon...Sully...my love...where ARE you?_

OOOOOOOOO

After the hail came to a stop, Sully slowly backed out from under the tractor, standing up stiffly. He stifled a groan of pain as he turned to view his surroundings, sighing with relief as he saw Prince, his faithful friend, standing nearby. Although the horse was quivering from fright and pain, he had stayed with his master when Molly had bolted, and not left him and the children to fend for themselves.

Sully had never appreciated and loved his wonderful stallion friend _more_ than at that moment.

"Prince, boy. C'mere," Sully called to him affectionately, stepping a little closer and trying not to slide on the hundreds of ice balls littering the ground. Prince snorted, a tiny spray of cold rain and steam fanning out from his nostrils, before stepping over to nuzzle his beloved master.

Immensely grateful, Sully hugged the big stallion's neck, lifting a rain-wet hand to lovingly caress the horse's face. He was holding on to his emotions by a thread, determined to not let the kids know how upset he really was – _and_ how much pain he was in.

"Prince..." he murmured thickly, choking back tears. "You _stayed_ with me...with _us_...thank you, my friend..."

Finally, Sully turned toward the kids, who were crouching together in each other's arms under their tiny bit of shelter, looking up at him through the rain.

"Kids...I know it's still rainin' and the tornado siren's still goin' off...but how about we try to make it home, huh? We need to get outta these wet clothes and get warm."

"Yeah, Daddy," Brian spoke up, Colleen nodding agreement. Both children were nearly shell-shocked that what started out as a wonderful outing with their father had so quickly turned miserable and frightening.

Sully moved back to them.

"Alright...this is how we'll do it..." he began, proceeding to explain that Brian would be up front, Sully in the middle, with Colleen on the back, draped in Sully's jacket to keep as much of the rain off her as possible. If they encountered a funnel cloud, they would deal with it then.

Turning to his faithful friend, Sully affectionately patted him, drawing the big horse's face to his for a hug as he murmured, "Get us home, boy. We're countin' on ya..."

The big horse nodded and snorted as if in answer.

Once they were all situated, rain still coming down in sheets, and thunder and lightning still erupting on occasion, Sully asked, "Ready?" They nodded, and he added, "Hold on tight, we're gonna get home as fast as we can."

Then turning due west, he cut through a large field and over several old and thankfully broken down fences, Prince soaring over them easily as Sully held the kids tight to him. They came out on Hewitt Lane - their land's western border, and turned north. It wasn't long before he could see the intersection with Hanover. _Please, God, let everything be alright at home... _He tiredly wiped rainwater from his face, shivering with fatigue, pain, and cold.

"Hang on, kids. We'll be home in a few minutes," he encouraged his chilled and tired youngsters, tightening his grip around his small son.

Brian nodded, but kept his head turned into his father's chest, his eyes shut against the rain. In his head, the boy kept reciting, _we're almost home...we're almost home...we're almost home..._

Colleen nodded also, maintaining her grip on not only her father, but the jacket as well, grateful that it was protecting her head from the cold rain. Concentrating on Sully's warmth and trying not to think about how wet, cold, and tired she was – she pondered instead how very glad she was to be protected by her strong, wonderful father.

As they rode along, she let her mind wander back to when the hail was beating down on them unmercifully. She'd never been so scared in her life, but even during the few terrifying minutes, her consciousness registered the fact that their father loved them so much he was sacrificing himself for them, and she knew this was a realization she would treasure for the rest of her life.

Ten minutes after the emergency siren slowed to a stop, Sully guided Prince onto their driveway – and they viewed the most welcome sight the three beleaguered riders had seen in a long time. Sully could see light in the lower windows of his home and smoke coming from both chimneys, plus lights were burning in the barn. Other than the yard appearing disheveled from the strong winds, no major damage could be seen and he closed his eyes for a brief moment in thankfulness, whispering, "Thank You, Lord."

Instantly grateful that Matthew and Ingrid must have made it back and that Michaela and Hannah had been well protected, Sully urged Prince into a lope.

As the exhausted and miserable trio and equally exhausted horse approached the barn door, Sully heard the familiar sound of his daughter's voice yell, "Daddy!"

Then the door swung open and he was surprised to see his wife and daughter standing together, Michaela with relieved tears shining in her eyes as she saw her husband.

"Sully! Thank God! We've been so worried..." she murmured as he ducked his head and rode Prince straight into the dry and welcome confines of the barn, totally relieved to be finally out of the cold rain. Hannah swung the door shut against the blowing rain and turned, her mouth dropping open as she viewed the condition her family was in.

Pulling Prince to a stop, Sully painfully lowered Brian to the ground, the boy immediately wrapping his arms around his mother's middle and she hugged him to her, trying to make sure he was alright.

Then turning stiffly, Sully lowered Colleen to the ground, also. The girls threw their arms around each other in relief.

"Gosh! You guys were out in that storm all this time?" Hannah exclaimed.

"Yeah...but Daddy took care of us," Colleen answered, gazing up at her wonderful father in pure hero worship.

Michaela had been watching her husband closely through all of this and instinctively knew something was wrong. She could see pain in his eyes, though he was trying hard not to show it.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" she asked, stepping back as he slowly dismounted and turned to face her.

"Yeah," he whispered as she stepped into his open arms. Wrapping her arms around his back, she immediately loosened them as she heard him gasp, keeping kept them loose around him as they hugged in gratefulness.

"I'm so glad you're home...I've been so worried..." she whispered against his ear as the kids exchanged bits and pieces of their separate adventures.

"I've never been so glad to get home in my life," he murmured, neither of them realizing or caring that his wet hair and clothing was soaking her as well.

"Are _you_ okay, sweetheart?" he asked softly, relieved when she nodded against him and murmured, "I'm fine."

They stood thus for several minutes, reveling in just being together again after the incredible and unexpected danger they had survived during the past few hours.

Finally, Sully stepped stiffly back, endeavoring to smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He knew if he gave into the pain now, Michaela would launch into doctor mode and fuss over him...and he wanted to make sure his precious horse was seen to before he saw to his own needs.

"Help me...take care of Prince?" he murmured. She nodded quickly, taking the reins and leading the wet horse to his stall. Together, they managed to get the saddle off and begin rubbing him down, Sully murmuring his thanks again and again in the horse's big open ear, while the kids brought him hay and patted him lovingly.

"He's the best horse in the world!" Brian exclaimed from his perch on the rail of Prince's stall, stretching forward to give the big black stallion a loving caress above his nose.

"He sure is," Colleen agreed, knowing they would still be out there, possibly walking and stumbling in the wind and rain, or shivering under the old tractor, if not for their wonderful equine friend.

"Yep, he's one of a kind," Sully agreed lovingly, grinning as the big horse snorted and nodded vigorously as if he understood their words...and maybe he did. The others laughed delightedly at his antics.

"Hey...where's Matthew and Ingrid?" Sully asked, his tired brain belatedly realizing their son was nowhere around.

Michaela met his eyes and shook her head worriedly. "I don't know...both of their horses came back...without them."


	5. Ignoring the Signs, Part 3

**CHAPTER 5 - Ignoring the Signs, Part 3**

"What _is_ this place?" Ingrid asked, only now able to survey the inside of the hut as she picked up the towel she had used before and attempted to dry her hair.

The teens had stayed hunkered down in the water until the siren had stopped. Thankfully, the funnel cloud they had seen had not touched down, so they pulled themselves out of the spring and ran through the rain back to the welcome safety of the cozy little building.

"We call it _Sully's Paradise_," Matthew answered with his customary half grin, his eyes twinkling at her reaction.

"Wow, really?" she grinned.

"Yep," he answered with pride, gazing around at the perfectly constructed beamed ceiling, the table against one wall still loaded with items necessary for comfort at their 'beach' paradise, the racks full of pond toys and floatation devises, and the stack of handmade Adirondack chairs against another wall.

"But how...why..." she asked in fascination.

"Well see...not long after Mom and Dad got married last summer...Mom went out and bought a swimming pool..." he began, pausing as he remembered his parents' horrendous fight, Brian crying, their father storming out...and their mom going after him to make up...

"Dad got super mad at first, cause she kind of did it without talkin' to him about it," he continued, "But he and Cloud Dancin' had found this pond with this great waterfall...so Dad got the idea to build this special place for us to go swimmin'."

"You guys built this _yourselves_?" she gushed, suitably impressed.

Matthew grinned proudly. "Yep - me, Dad, Cloud Dancin', Robert E., and Mr. Slicker. We worked on it everyday, every chance we got. The more we built, the more ideas Dad came up with," he added with a chuckle. "He wanted to make it as special as he could for mom. All he kept talkin' about the whole time we worked was seein' the look on Mom's face when she saw it the first time."

"You mean...she didn't _help_?" the girl asked curiously, thinking she herself would have wanted to be in on the action.

He shook his head, gazing around at all of the special touches his father had included.

"Nope...cause right after we started workin' on it, Brian fell in the deep end of the pond and had to be rescued..."

"Oh my gosh!" she gasped, her blue eyes large with concern.

"Yeah. Freaked Mom out pretty bad...Dad, too," he added, remembering his father's reaction of utter horror at seeing Brian flailing in the water and how he had jumped in fully clothed to rescue his small son...and how Sully held Brian in his arms afterward, looking like he was about to break down and cry.

"So, Mom declared that she, the girls, and Brian wouldn't be back until everything was done."

Ingrid chuckled, pausing for a particularly long clap and rumble of thunder. "That reminds me of the mom and dad in that old Disney movie, "The Swiss Family Robinson."

"Yeah, that's what Dad said, too," Matthew admitted with his customary half grin.

Suddenly realizing just how chilled she was becoming, the warmth of the hot springs long gone, Ingrid shivered and wrapped her arms around her body.

"Hey, we gotta do something about these wet clothes, or we'll get sick," Matthew declared, looking around to see what items would be of use to them. "I know there's gotta be stuff we can use..."

Rooting around in boxes and bags, he came up with an old bathrobe of his mother's she had left there for emergencies, one of his father's old T-shirts, a pair of swimming trunks, and one of his mother's extra swim suits.

Handing the robe and swim suit to the surprised girl, he then stepped over and drew the privacy curtain, suspended from a curved track in the ceiling by rings and chains, around to form the changing area.

"Here you go...your changing room, madam," he indicated with an exaggerated flourish, bending low and sweeping his arm toward the enclosure.

Ingrid giggled at his antics, stepping around the curtain and laying the items on the built-in seat. "Wow, your dad sure thinks of everything, doesn't he!" she complimented, shivering as she raised the hem of her wet shirt.

"Yep, he does...and here's some dry towels," he added, towels appearing around the edge of the curtain.

"Thanks," she responded quickly, reaching to take them. "But, don't you dare peek!"

"You neither," he returned with a sardonic grin.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" She laughed and rolled her eyes, immediately setting to work removing her cold, wet clothing and proceeding to towel herself dry. Glancing at the built in covered seat, she asked, "Is this a seat for putting on your shoes in here?"

Matthew chuckled as he removed his soaked T-shirt. "Nope. It's a privy."

"You're kidding!" she gasped, turning to look closer at the item.

"Dad said he figured the girls would find it kinda rough to 'go' in the woods," he explained with a cheeky grin, adding, "It works with chemicals, just like a Porta Potty."

Thinking of how special this place was, and how Sully had tried so hard to please his wife, Ingrid murmured, "Gosh...I bet your mom cried when she saw all of this, huh?"

Matthew smiled, remembering his parents' expressions when they emerged from Sully taking Michaela on her first tour, and overhearing him tell Cloud Dancing how she had reacted. "Yep...just like the mom in the movie."

"Your dad's crazy about your mom...isn't he..." she commented, more of a statement than a question as she wiggled into the swimsuit, pausing a moment to think about her own dad always on the road and away from home – and how her parents didn't seem to 'need' each other even when they were together.

Matthew peeled off his cold, wet jeans and underwear, glancing toward the curtain shyly and reaching for a towel. "Yeah...he sure is...I think he'd just about die for her, you know? He's a wreck without her," he added, thinking of the massive migraine his father had suffered when his wife had traveled to Boston a month before.

"It must be wonderful to be so much in love..." Ingrid murmured dreamily, tying the warm robe around her and beginning to dry her hair.

"Seems so..." Matthew agreed, pulling the dry T-shirt over his head and quickly pulling on the trunks.

"I think they fell in love the night they met," he added with a grin. "When she nearly walloped him with a skillet."

Ingrid laughed delightedly. "I heard about that! That's so funny – neither of them knowing they were meeting their future spouses for the first time."

"Yeah...but it was obvious right from the start that somethin' was happening between them," he remembered, rubbing the towel vigorously over his hair.

"Are you done out there?" Ingrid asked, hesitating at the edge of the curtain.

"Yeah, you can come out."

She pushed back the curtain all the way around to the wall, looking around at the items stored in the small building, then at her companion, who was picking up his cell phone to make a call.

"Man it feels good to be out of those wet clothes," she murmured in a loud whisper.

He smiled and nodded. "Sure does."

Dialing the house, he got the phone company's automated recording and he nodded, quickly figuring the power was off again.

Then, he dialed his dad's cell phone, but it gave the T-mobile automated message that the user was unavailable. Sighing in frustration, he dialed his mother's cell. It rang three times and then Sully answered, "Matthew?"

"Dad?" he said, barely understanding through a terrible connection.

"I can barely understand you, son. #####...are you guys alright?" Sully asked anxiously.

"Yeah, we're fine. Got caught in the storm and the horses ran off..." Matthew explained loudly, gripping the phone and covering his other ear with his palm, straining to hear.

"I know. They ######, in the barn," came Sully's garbled reply.

"That's good. Wolf, too?"

"Yeah, he's ######. You sure ###### alright? Where are ya?" Sully asked.

"We're okay – dry and out of the storm, so don't worry. We're at..." Matthew stopped, the connection suddenly silenced as the call was dropped.

"_Dang_ it! Lost the call. Stupid cell phones," he muttered, dialing again, only to receive T-Mobile's recording that the mobile user was unavailable.

Both he and Sully tried to reconnect repeatedly over the next ten minutes. However, they had no way to know that a tornado had indeed touched down, damaging a cell tower up the circuit from them and limiting its power, and that lightning had disrupted their own tower, thereby rendering them temporarily out of service.

With the pouring rain and Sully not knowing exactly where to look, Matthew was pretty sure he wouldn't venture out looking for them, as they could actually be anywhere. For all his parents knew, they could even have been picked up by a friend.

Finally, as evening was approaching, Matthew turned to his wide-eyed companion.

His mouth turned up in a sheepish half grin, he murmured, "It looks like we might be stuck here for the night."

"You mean..._sleep_ here tonight..._together_?" Ingrid asked, slightly alarmed.

Matthew balked at her choice of words, his eyes huge, raising his hands as he quickly reassured, "I didn't mean it like _that_...just that it's a long walk back to the house and I don't know about you, but I'm kinda tired of being _wet_."

"Yeah...I sure don't want to walk anywhere either...but...what will people _think?"_ she asked anxiously, crossing her arms on her chest and casting her eyes around as if looking for people watching them.

"Who _cares_ what people think? _We'll_ know the truth," he assured confidently, though inside he wondered about that, also.

"What will our _parents_ think, though?" she persisted, unconsciously moving a step away from him as if he'd suddenly become a wolf on the prowl.

"Ingrid...my parents trust me...and they know I don't lie," he assured. "They'll be able to look at our faces and know the truth. Trust me."

Watching her face, he added, "And it ain't like the whole world knows where we are or that we're here alone. Nobody but my family and your mom know we went out on the horses together..."

She relaxed a little at that. "True..." Then seeing the expression on his face, she explained, "It's just...my mom has drilled it into my head not to let myself get a 'reputation'...and to not put myself into a situation where..." she paused, looking at him and hoping she wouldn't have to put her thoughts into words, finally ending with a shrug.

"Yeah...Dad's talked to me about that too. So, don't worry. You're safe with me...I don't plan on doin' anything that would make my parents mad or ashamed. Their opinion means too much to me. That thing with Jared and the ATV was enough trouble to last me for a lifetime," he added ruefully.

"I'm glad to hear that." Leaning against the stack of chairs, she smiled, believing him and allowing herself to feel at ease.

Although she had talked to Matthew many times at school and felt she _knew_ him...her mother had drilled into her psyche that all men were alike – and not to be trusted. Somehow, however, she felt that Matthew Sully was different.

"So...um...I hate to say it, but...I'm kind of hungry..." she admitted with a shy smile.

Matthew grinned and put up a finger. "Give me a few minutes...I think I can 'rustle' us up some 'grub'."

Ingrid giggled at that, walking near as he turned to begin searching through the items the family had left in the hut the last time they were there, hoping for something edible.

"Can I help?"

"Sure," he grinned, drawing his face out of a large grocery bag. "Look through that bag there and see if you can find anything to eat, or anything we can use."

Nodding, she set about helping him search, and pretty soon they had come up with quite a few items, due in part to a bag of goodies Brian was supposed to carry to the truck, but didn't.

The two happily set about making their 'bungalow' more comfortable and preparing their meal, the storm nearly forgotten as it had settled down to just steady rain. Matthew found the kerosene lantern, very happy that his father had a large supply of them, and a few matches, illuminating the little hut with soft, warm light. The teens faced each other with large grins, and "high fives', working together to arrange chair cushions on the floor for a comfortable seating area, and a small table in the middle at which to eat.

The two had found bags of chips, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, cans of soft drinks, bottles of water, and a bag of tiny candy bars in their search, as well as several throw covers that would come in handy during the night.

With their feast ready, the happy young people sat down on the cushions and began to eat.

OOOOOOOOO

"But Sully, they're out there, somewhere, in this storm!" Michaela fretted, following her husband up the stairs as he led the way with a lantern. Thunder boomed just then as if accentuating her point.

After trying to make connection between the cell phones without success, and making sure Colleen and Brian were all right after their ordeal, the beleaguered parents had finally been able to take care of themselves.

"They'll be all right, Michaela," Sully countered with clenched teeth, setting the lantern down on her nightstand. "Stop worryin'. Matthew's got a good head on his shoulders and he _knows_ how to survive out in the woods, I've made sure 'a that."

"Don't you think you should take the truck and at least go _look_ for them?" Michaela asked as she helped her husband peel off his wet clothes in their room.

"Matthew said they were dry and out of the storm. You really need ya let go and start trustin' him at some point, 'Chaela. Besides, I don't know where to look..._aahhhh_," he answered, gasping as Michaela quickly pulled his T-shirt off over his head.

"Sully, what...?" she asked, turning his back toward the light of the oil lamp. She gasped, all thoughts of Matthew and Ingrid flying from her head when she saw what had caused her husband's reaction. A massive amount of raised welts covered the skin of his shoulders, back and lower back.

"Oh, sweetheart! Your back...the hail..." she murmured emotively, softly touching the angry circle-shaped abrasions and bruises on his skin. Remembering the feeling of anxious fright concerning her husband she had experienced during the minutes of the hailstorm, she asked softly, "Sully...what happened out there?"

Sucking in a breath, anxious to rid himself of his miserably wet clothes, a chill went through his body as he reached to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his jeans. "I was stupid, and I paid for it," he uttered between clenched teeth, managing to kick the soaked pants and underwear to the side.

Grabbing up a large towel she had brought from downstairs, Michaela gently urged, "Come...lay on the bed so I can tend to you."

He nodded tiredly, not having the gumption to argue, and stiffly stretched himself out on his stomach on her side of the bed.

The chill in the air caused him to shiver involuntarily, and Michaela hastily set and lit a fire in their large bedroom fireplace, quickly adding several logs and plenty of kindling to achieve a quick, room-warming fire.

Gently lowering herself down beside him, Michaela ultra carefully dried her way down from his hair to his shoulders, his back, his bottom, and his legs, biting her lip to keep from tearing up as she viewed the full extent of his injuries. There were angry welts on the upper cheeks of his bottom. An inch-wide welt-free strip ran across his waist where his leather belt had protected him, but round welts and abrasions peppered his calves as well. It appeared that he had stayed perfectly still during the onslaught and hadn't even tried to protect himself.

"Oh Sully...your back is absolutely beaten to a pulp," she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes as she imagined how much pain he must be feeling – how much pain he had been in even as he lifted the children onto Prince and managed to get them home.

Sully drew in a deep breath, so glad to be home, dry, and in their comfortable bed, with his wife's loving hands ministering to his battered body.

"I shoulda started home sooner," he admitted in quiet shame. "...I'm ashamed of myself that I put the kids in danger with my stubbornness. I wanted to check _one more thing_ before we turned for home," he added self-effacingly. "I thought we'd beat the storm. Boy, was I _wrong_."

"Where were you when it started?" she asked quietly, gently caressing his sides.

"We'd just come out of a big stand of trees, tryin' to cut through and save time, when it started to rain." He paused and managed a smile of pride. "Chaela, you shoulda seen Colleen...rain beatin' down on her, cold and shiverin'...but she kept right on, not complainin'..."

Michaela smiled and nodded as he opened his eyes and turned his head further to meet hers.

"She's become quite the horsewoman," she agreed.

"Yep. But then the hail started...and...I don't mind tellin' ya...I was scared. Michaela, there wasn't anything around we could hide under...except an old tractor at the edge of the field we were in." He paused again, trying to stifle a groan as he moved his arm.

"The children must have been terrified," she murmured, reaching up to caress his hair with one hand, wanting to touch him, but afraid of hurting him more.

"Yeah...they both started screamin'," he answered, pressing his lips together in regret and shutting his eyes for a moment at the memory.

"Well, I grabbed Colleen's reins and barreled toward the tractor, tryin' to shield Brian from the hail, and got 'em both off the horses, but when I put 'em under the tractor...I saw there wasn't much left of it – it was just a shell. The hail was still hittin' 'em...so I did the only thing I could think of – I covered 'em with my body," he finished with a groan.

"Oh Sully," Michaela breathed, one tear escaping and rolling down her cheek as she imagined the terrifying and painful minutes her precious husband had suffered as the rock hard balls of ice beat down on him unmercifully. He had sacrificed himself for the children – and not even his blood children, but they were _his_ nonetheless. He might not have 'fathered' them physically, but he more than made up for that with his love and care - on a daily basis. Once again, she paused to thank God for sending such a man into her and the children's lives.

"Then when the siren went off, I thought we were goners," he continued. "I finally did _then_ what I shoulda done at the beginning...prayed for help," he admitted sheepishly.

Michaela nodded, a tiny smile of understanding gracing her lips, knowing she and Hannah had saved that as a 'last resort' themselves.

"Just a few seconds after I prayed, the hail slowed to a stop, thank God," he grunted, turning slowly and sitting up to face her.

"When I stood up and saw Prince hadn't bolted...it took everythin' I had not to break down," he whispered, gazing into his wife's eyes as he admitted his decidedly 'un-macho' feelings. "That horse...he's a God send, Michaela. This makes about four times he's saved my life or stayed with me when any other horse woulda been gone."

"I owe him," she murmured lovingly, her eyes glittering with grateful tears as she gazed into his, reaching up to cup his cheek with a palm. He smiled softly and turned his head stiffly, brushing his lips to its center.

Michaela leaned in and kissed him softly, then pressed her forehead to his in sheer gratitude of just being together and out of harm's way.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you and Hannah when that siren went off," he whispered softly.

"That's all right...we managed," she answered softly. "We worked together to get the cellar door up and stayed huddled together against the inside wall...praying for the rest of you to be all right. I knew _you_ were in trouble...I could _feel_ it...and I was so frightened for you," she added, striving to hold back tears as she remembered those terrible moments.

Sully smiled softly and pulled back a little to look in her eyes. "And I was scared for _you_...and for the baby...though I was sure Matthew had made it back and would try to protect you and Hannah. I was scared to death I'd get back and find everything destroyed..." he paused, not even wanting to put into words the images his imagination had conjured up during those horrible minutes when he begged God to protect everything and everyone he loved.

"'Chaela...if anything woulda happened to you and the baby, and Hannah...I couldn't 'a lived with it," he murmured softly, his eyes glimmering with unshed tears as he allowed her to see into his very heart.

"Oh Sully..." Michaela whispered, a tear spilling over one cheek as she leaned in to press a soft, grateful kiss to his lips, then pressed her cheek to his in overwhelming emotion, whispering, "I love you so much...and I'm so thankful to have you back home again..."

The two were quiet for the next few minutes as each offered silent prayers of thankfulness for God's protection.

Finally, she pulled back and murmured, "I'm going downstairs to get some ice to rub on your back and legs, as well as some liniment..."

"Ice?" he asked, managing a chuckle.

She chuckled as well. "Yes, its one of the best treatments for bruising. In moderation, of course," she added with a twinkle.

He grinned, shaking his head. "You're the doc."

"Indeed I am," she immediately returned with a smile, leaning over to give him a soft kiss.

"I'll be right back. Lay back down on your stomach," she ordered gently, making her way out the door as he gingerly obeyed.

OOOOOOOOO

"Hey...you okay over there?" Matthew murmured, having noticed for about the tenth time Ingrid fidgeting and shivering as she lay on her side facing away from him under one thin blanket on her makeshift 'bed' of cushions.

"No I'm not...I'm freezing," came the muffled reply.

"I'm cold, too," he answered, sitting up a bit to look over at her in the dim light from the turned-down lantern.

"Look...we ought to be sharing body heat, you know? That's what you do in situations like this..." He pointed out, yet again.

He had argued that point when they had first lain down to sleep and she had resisted, but now, she knew she wouldn't be able to get any sleep at the rate she was going.

Turning to face him, she saw the honest care in his expression. Not detecting any appearance of 'mischief' or 'plans' in his eyes, she finally nodded acquiescence.

Scrambling up, they shoved their 'beds' together. Matthew took her blanket and put it on top of his, then quickly lay down and arranged the covers, pulling back a corner to invite her to join him.

"Matthew Sully...just because I'm getting in this bed with you doesn't mean..." she began to argue.

"I _know_, Ingrid! Just hush and get in here so we can both get warm and get some sleep," he returned sharply.

"Okay! Okay!" She muttered, huffing a sigh, which came out as a fog in the cold air of the hut. She scrambled under the covers with him and pulled them up to her neck, turning on her left side facing away. He, in turn, spooned himself gently behind her and carefully wrapped his arm around her waist, hoping she wouldn't resist his attempt to share body heat and keep themselves warm.

"Just don't you try anything, Matthew Sully, or I swear I'll..." she warned through teeth gritted from both frustration and cold as her mother's warnings screamed in her mind.

"Sshhh, woman. Go to sleep," he murmured in an unconscious mimic of his father, hoping his voice didn't betray his real feelings and thoughts of having his arm wrapped intimately around the girl he'd been dreaming about since the first day they had met. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer that his body would cooperate and not 'respond' to her nearness.

_He called me 'woman'..._Ingrid thought to herself, acutely aware of his nearness as he snuggled up to her back. _Does he really see me as a woman?_ _Oh if he only knew how many times I've dreamed about him...wondering what it would be like for him to kiss me..._

In spite of her nervousness, a sigh of comfort escaped her lips as his warmth and the warmth of two blankets instantly began to thaw her icy cold body. _Wow...this is what it'll be like someday to be married and sleep with a man...it's like...heaven..._

After several minutes, each one determinedly concentrating on their comfort and not the other's nearness, he drew in a relieved breath. "See? Much better, right?" he whispered against her silky blond hair, already feeling warmer himself.

"Yeah...I'm sorry I was so stubborn..." she whispered back, her eyes closing in relief as the cold and stress of the day began to melt away.

"Don't worry about it. Goodnight..." he murmured softly.

"Goodnight, Matthew," she whispered, slipping into a comfortable doze.

OOOOOOOOO

Sully drew in a sharp breath as his wife reapplied her ice remedy. "_Dang_, that hurts," he whispered through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Michaela murmured lovingly. "I just want to go over the worst of the bruising with the ice once more, then I'm going to apply a thorough coat of Aloe Vera cream to all of the welts. The Excedrin PM's I gave you should kick in soon and help take the edge off the pain."

He nodded, his eyes shut as he waited out the treatment time.

Michaela allowed her eyes to run over her husband's form in the soft light from the lantern. The wide shoulders, the massive arm muscles, the broad back, the narrow waist and hips...even injured as he was, his body was so incredibly masculine and alluring. She shook her head to force her thoughts back on the task at hand, chiding herself for lusting after her husband in his injured condition. _He needs you to be his doctor right now...not some sex hungry lioness..._

That made her think of an entry in the journal they had read together the week before, about an incident where Sully had been beaten by a buffalo skinner, so badly that he was paralyzed.

Carefully applying the ice to the worst of the bruising, Michaela let her mind drift and imagine the scene her ancestor had described...

_**March 16, 1868**_

_**At this point, I don't know if Sully's paralysis will be permanent. This is breaking my heart...for him...and also for me, as I had begun to have thoughts and feelings...even dreams...about Sully and I together as a couple some day...especially after he kissed me on my birthday...**_

_**Last night after I returned home, as I spoke to him about holding on to hope that he would walk again, I pulled back the sheet and began vigorously massaging his legs. As I worked my way up his thigh, however, I suddenly became acutely conscious of him...as a man. I'm ashamed to even write this, as this never happened to me with a patient before (and of course I know...he isn't just a 'patient'), but for a few seconds, the physician within me fled, leaving only a woman whose her hands were massaging Sully's thigh. I looked up at him and our eyes met – I had just said we have to keep the muscles strong and the blood circulating...I don't want to even put down on paper the thought that crossed my mind the instant those words left my mouth. What is even worse...he saw it in my eyes, I'm sure of it, and it made him uncomfortable. He quickly put his hands over my own and said in a very firm voice, "I don't want to do this right now..." I was mortified, and quickly covered him back up, trying desperately to think of something to say. Thankfully, he changed the subject, telling me not to feel sorry for him...**_

Refocusing on the task at hand, Michaela shook her head with a soft smile. She certainly understood those feelings. She found it very hard to concentrate on medical issues while ministering to her handsome husband.

Waiting a sufficient amount of time for the ice treatment to help all it could, Michaela reached for a soft towel to pat the lesions and welts dry, with feather soft movements. Then pouring a good amount of the aloe into her hands and pausing to allow it to warm to her body temperature, she very gently began to apply it to the worst of the welts, those of his upper back.

Sully drew in a breath, but soon relaxed under her gentle, healing ministrations. Oh, how he loved the touch of her hands! He lay still as she rubbed the aloe into the welts and bruises, already feeling as if the healing process had begun.

"Those hands of yours are worth a million dollars. You know that, don't ya?" he asked playfully, his eyes closed, a small smile on his lips.

"Hmm, a million, huh?" she responded with a grin. "Where can I cash that in?" He chuckled softly in response.

After several minutes, they heard a soft knock on the door. Michaela gently pulled the sheet up to her husband's waist and called softly, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Colleen, standing uncertainly in the hallway in her gown and robe.

"I just wanted to tell Daddy..._you_ and Daddy...goodnight," she murmured softly.

Stepping forward into the room, the young girl's breath caught as she saw what the hail had done to her father's back.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered, her brown eyes huge with concern as she glanced at her mother, before dropping to her knees at her father's side. Sully's eyes opened and met hers, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"It's okay, honey...it probably looks a lot worse than it is..." he fibbed, wanting to spare her feelings of guilt, since nothing about what happened was in any way her fault.

A myriad of thoughts zipped through Colleen's mind, but one took precedence. This man who was now her father truly loved her – and her brothers – unconditionally. That he would do this for them...take the 'abuse' she and Brian would have suffered...made tears of love and gratitude spring to her eyes.

Overwhelmed, she whispered, "I love you, Daddy," learning in to press a kiss to his cheek.

He managed a normal grin and a wink, murmuring, "I love you too, sweet girl. G'night, now."

"Goodnight," she murmured. Then standing, she went into her mother's arms, holding there for a few extra moments as she murmured, "Goodnight, Mom. I love you," adding in a whisper, "You're gonna fix his back...right?"

"I love you, too, Colleen," Michaela murmured, smoothing back her daughter's hair and placing a kiss on her cheek, whispering, "He'll be fine...don't worry." Then, with one last look at her stricken father, the girl was gone, closing the door softly behind her.

Sully turned a bit to meet Michaela's eyes, and she smiled softly, whispering. "I do believe we have a healthy case of hero/father worship on our hands, Mr. Sully."

He snickered softly, his eyes closing tiredly as the medicine began to take effect.

"I just hope this hero's armor stays shiny for a long, long time."

OOOOOOOOO

Hours later, the rain had stopped and the sky was just starting to show the beginnings of light at the eastern horizon as Ingrid stretched a little and became aware of a weight across her middle. Coming more awake, she realized Matthew still had his arm around her under the covers, and his hand had covered hers during the night, their fingers entwined.

Lying there in his 'embrace', Ingrid thought about everything that had happened the previous day...how Matthew had taken charge and had known just what to do when the storm hit...how he had taken care of her, making sure she had everything she needed for the night...and how mature and level-headed he was. _Sometimes he seems older than sixteen,_ she mused.

"Morning," came his voice from right behind her head.

She smiled a little, her bottom lip catching between her teeth. "Morning."

"Sleep good?" he asked softly, not moving or changing his position.

"Yeah...once I got warm...I think I fell right to sleep," she answered shyly.

"Me, too," he replied, finally disengaging his hand from hers and pulling his arm away. Stretching his legs, he rolled to his back and sat up.

"Wonder what time it is..." Ingrid murmured, sitting up and wiping the sleep from her eyes.

Leaning over, Matthew picked up his cell phone and squinted at the small screen. "About seven."

"Think your parents are up yet?"

"I don't know...I'll try to call 'em here in a bit."

"I, um...I gotta..." she blushingly stammered, motioning toward the privy.

"Yeah, me too. But, I'll...go outside," he offered.

As he slipped into his still damp jeans and shoes, Ingrid stood up, drawing the curtain around to form the private room. Finishing her business quickly, she hurriedly dressed in her own still damp clothes, rolling up Michaela's robe and swimsuit to be laundered.

When Matthew returned, they glanced at each other, surprisingly a little shy, then glanced away and cleared their throats.

"Um...are you hungry? We could have some more of what we ate last night..." he offered.

She nodded. "But, I'll just have a granola bar...and some Sprite,"

Matthew handed her the items, and they both settled down side by side on the cushions, eating quietly.

In truth, they were both thinking about the fact that they had essentially 'slept' together and wondered if this was going to change their friendship.

Matthew surreptitiously cast glances at his beautiful companion, so very relieved that she didn't seem to be aware of the internal war he was fighting.

He turned his head away and looked out a window, chewing slowly, his mind replaying the conversation he'd had with Sully in Robert E.'s garage the night they worked on the El Camino together. He realized now, as attracted as he was to Ingrid, if she was the wrong kind of girl, he'd have been in a pack of trouble the night before. Now, he saw even more clearly the wisdom of his father's advice to not allow yourself to be caught in a compromising situation.

Ingrid was having similar thoughts as she slowly chewed her breakfast. Never having been in a situation remotely resembling this, she had thought of her mother's advice as overbearing and exaggerated. But sitting next to Matthew, alone in this little hut, she found herself so drawn to him, she realized she was on dangerous ground.

Just then, Matthew's cell phone rang. He picked it up and glanced at the screen.

"It's Mom," he told his companion.

"Hello?"

"Matthew?" Sully's voice responded.

"Hey Dad, how come you're callin' me on Mom's phone?"

"Mine got soaked yesterday, and between that and a low battery, it's dead as a doornail this morning," Sully answered, wincing softly as he moved wrong.

"You were out in the storm?" Matthew asked incredulously, that thought never having entered his mind.

"Yeah. I'll tell ya all about it later," Sully responded. "Where're you guys at?"

"The beach hut."

Sully's eyes widened a little. "You guys spent the night...alone together...in the hut?"

Matthew could feel his father's mental wheels whirring, and he rushed to put the breaks on. "Yep. No problems, though. Everything's _fine_," he emphasized gently, hoping his father would get the message.

Sully's eyes were locked with his wife's, who was staring at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"All right. Sit tight, we'll be there to get you in a few minutes."

"Okay Dad."

Matthew pressed the disconnect button and met Ingrid's eyes.

"Was he mad?" she asked softly.

He shrugged. "Not sure. You can bet we'll probably both get the third degree, though."

"Yeah. My mom is probably pacing the floor..."

"Yeah. Listen, I'm sorry I couldn't get through to her last night," he apologized, handing the cell phone to her with a half grin.

"It's not your fault," she responded with a smile, taking the phone and quickly calling home.

After a few moments of apologies and reassurances that she was indeed fine and that she would be home very soon, she hung up, biting her bottom lip and shaking her head.

"How'd that go?" Matthew asked with a sheepish grin.

"Not too bad...but she might be saving up till she sees me face to face," she added with a chuckle.

Glancing around, she offered, "I think we better put things back like we found them..."

"Sounds like a good idea."

Working together, they had the hut shipshape in about five minutes. With nothing to do, then, but wait, Matthew decided to show her around the family's recreation area, now that the rain had stopped.

With pride, he showed her the large curved deck around the pond, the bridge over the creek, and the gazebo.

"You know how to do things like carpentry work?" she asked, gazing around at the different structures.

"Well...I'm learning. Sully's taught me everything I know about it...he's a good teacher, too."

"You love him a lot...don't you..." she stated softly.

He pressed his lips together, thinking of his amazing father and the huge contrast between him and _David_.

"Yeah, I do...he's really good to us...teaches us things...is real patient...plus he's real good to my mom..." he added, staring off into the distance.

"Must be nice...having a dad around to teach you things," she replied softly, blushing and looking away when he turned his head to look at her again.

"Yeah...it is," he returned gently, taking a step closer to her, wanting to somehow comfort away the sadness he had heard in her voice.

"Listen..." "Hey..." they began simultaneously.

Matthew grinned his half smile and gestured with one hand. "You go first."

"No, you."

"I was just gonna say...I hope you don't get in trouble for last night...and I'm really sorry about all of it..."

"That's okay...thanks for taking such good care of me..." she replied softly, gazing into his eyes.

"Aw...no problem. Thanks for being such a good sport. You got lots of practice riding horses, though, huh? You did real good," he finished with a grin.

She grinned back, pleased at the compliment. "Thank you, Matthew..." she murmured softly, stepping up to him and leaning near, pressing her lips to his cheek.

She pulled back as if in slow motion. Each acutely aware of the other and each dying to find out what it would feel like to kiss the other...he took the plunge. Leaning in, he pressed his lips softly to hers as both pairs of blue eyes fluttered closed.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, and then each one pulled back, nearly reeling from the tingles caused by the other's lips.

"Wow," Matthew murmured softly as their eyes slowly opened.

"Yeah...wow," she whispered, stepping back with a shy smile.

They stayed that way for several moments, just staring into each other's eyes, until Matthew recognized the sound of Sully's pickup approaching.

He cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair. "Um...Dad's here..." he murmured softly.

"Yeah..." she answered, feeling as if she were floating on a cloud of soft feathers, Matthew's smooth, warm lips still in the forefront of her thoughts.

Sully pulled the pickup into the cleared area around the hut, Michaela spotting them by the gazebo and pointing with relief, "There they are!"

The pickup came to a stop near the hut, and Matthew stepped to the back passenger door, opening it and motioning for Ingrid to enter before him.

She climbed in, gesturing with the rolled up garments. "I had to wear these last night, my clothes were soaked. I hope you don't mind, Dr. Mike. I'll wash them before I give them back..."

"Oh that's fine, Ingrid. I'm just happy I left them there so that you didn't have to wear wet clothing all night!" Michaela answered gently, smiling encouragingly to the young woman.

The two settled into the back seat, trying to act 'normal' as they wondered what the rest of the day would hold for them. Sully and Michaela watched them a moment, then glanced at each other, each wondering the same thing...

_How much of an 'adventure in the woods' did these two have?_


	6. If It Ain't One Thing, It's Another

**CHAPTER 6 – If It Ain't One Thing, It's Another**

"What'd she say?" Sully asked as Matthew climbed in the back seat of the truck after walking Ingrid to her door.

"At first, she was really mad, especially at me," Matthew began. "Said she'd been worried sick all night. But she let me explain what happened and I think by the end, she believed me...about the cell phones...and that nothing _happened_," he ended, unwaveringly meeting his father's eyes in the review mirror.

Sully studied his son, then nodded silently and started the truck.

Michaela looked from one to the other, thinking she should do or say something about the situation. When she opened her mouth to jump in, however, Sully reached over and took her hand, murmuring, "Mé'oo'o..."

He caught her eye and gave a tiny negative shake of his head. Still trying to become accustomed to 'dual' parenting, she realized she should at least wait and hear his opinion before launching herself at Matthew for what seemed to her as reckless and irresponsible behavior.

Sighing resignedly, she turned forward in her seat, lapsing into silent thought.

Twenty minutes later, Sully pulled up next to the house and Michaela opened her door to get out.

"Michaela...go on in...I wanna have a little talk with Matthew," Sully requested quietly.

Again, she opened her mouth to protest, but changed her mind, glanced at Matthew as he opened the back passenger door, and turned with a soft sigh to ascend the stairs.

Climbing inside, Matthew shut the door and turned to his father, somewhat concerned, but reminding himself he had nothing to fear from telling the truth.

He noticed, then, that Sully seemed to be moving slowly and grimacing.

"Hey Dad...you okay?" he asked concernedly.

"Not really, but I've been worse. We'll talk about me in a minute," he added, turning stiffly toward his son. "What happened?"

Matthew took a big breath, relating the particulars of going to the old deserted cabin and staying too long, trying to make it back to the house after they realized the storm was approaching, Flash's skittishness and his decision to send her home with Wolf as escort, and making it to the beach hut with not a second to spare.

"You did right sending Flash home...she's been real skittish about lightning and thunder since that storm up on Cheyenne Mountain," Sully agreed.

Matthew nodded, continuing on with he and Ingrid hiding in the hot springs from a potential tornado and trying to get through on the cell phone. Then, he carefully explained their use of the curtain and changing into dry clothes. Sully chuckled at the amount of foodstuffs they found to snack on.

When Matthew ended his narrative, Sully sat digesting the information and nodding, then fixed his eyes on his son. "Now tell me about _last night_."

"Nothin' to tell," Matthew answered with a shrug. "We tried sleepin' across the hut from each other and we were both freezin', so I told her we should share body heat. After threatenin' me with dire consequences, she came over; we spooned up together, and went to sleep. That's it," he finished firmly, expecting a battery of questions.

Gazing steadily back into Sully's eyes, he was relieved to see within the blue orbs proof that his father believed him.

"Okay. I believe you, son," Sully finally stated with a small nod.

Matthew relaxed a little, wanting to explain more of his thoughts while the two of them were alone.

"Dad...I kept thinking about that conversation we had when we worked on the car that night..." he began, choosing his words carefully. "How important it is not to get into a situation where something could happen? Well...I believed you before, but last night made me realize just how right you are. If Ingrid was the _bad_ type of girl...and I felt about her the way I do..." he paused, letting his father see his feelings in his eyes.

Sully nodded and pressed his lips together. Then one side of his mouth curled in a tiny smile and he wiggled his eyebrows a bit, asking, "You kiss her?"

Matthew's lips formed his half grin, and he turned his head for a minute, in truth a little embarrassed to be admitting it, even to Sully.

"Yeah...but not till right before you guys got there...I knew you were _on the way_," he added with a chuckle.

Sully chuckled too, realizing his son meant he had been certain of a timely interruption.

"Dad...I...I think I love her. And I know she likes me..." Matthew suddenly admitted, glancing again into his father's blue eyes.

"Ya do, huh?" Sully teased with a twinkle.

Matthew blushed a little, running a hand unconsciously through his hair.

"How was the kiss?" Sully teased softly.

"It...it was like...tingles," Matthew answered with remembered awe.

Sully nodded in total understanding, pursing his lips. "You think about her all the time?"

Matthew nodded.

"You dream about her?"

Again a nod.

"Does her voice seem like the sweetest sound in the world...her touch seem like the softest thing you've ever felt?"

"Yeah..." Matthew murmured, surprised to hear his feelings put into actual words.

"You wanna be with her all the time...defend her if anybody says the slightest thing against her...do anything to help if she tells you about a problem?" Sully continued, watching Matthew's expressions.

Matthew snickered, his father accurately describing his thoughts, but then he realized Sully was also voicing how he felt about his own wife.

"Yep, son. I'd say you're in love," Sully concluded with a grin. Winking with a chuckle, as he turned a bit to open his door.

Matthew stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Hey...you were gonna tell me what happened to _you_."

Looking back into his son's eyes, he shook his head self-effacingly, "Let's just say...I didn't take my own advice, got caught in the hail storm, and regretted it, _big time_."

Matthew smiled at his father's attempt at levity, but was still concerned. "You're okay, though, right?"

"Yeah...my back is all bruised and banged up, but I'll live."

"Colleen and Brian?" Matthew asked anxiously.

"They're fine," Sully responded with a nod, before giving Matthew a quick heads up of what had occurred. Matthew, in turn, sat utterly amazed at this man who was now their father and the extent to which he would put his own safety aside to make sure they were unharmed. And what was more, Sully seemed so humble about it, not bragging about his 'heroism' the way Matthew knew David would have.

When he had finished his short narrative, and spotting Michaela glance impatiently out of the front window for the umpteenth time, Sully clapped his son affectionately on the shoulder. "Come on...let's get in the house before your mom wears a place in the floor – and I ain't had breakfast yet."

Walking together inside, Michaela took one look at them and saw that everything was definitely all right. She could see no trace of anger or aggravation within the expressive eyes of her husband, nor shame or repentance in the eyes of her son.

Matthew met eyes with his mom and walked to her. Reaching out a tentative hand to brush her arm, he offered, "I'm sorry I was stupid out there and didn't make it back before the storm hit. And knowing now that you and Hannah were here alone...I feel _awful_...if something woulda happened..."

Michaela smiled and took her son into her arms for a relieved hug, gazing at Sully over his shoulder.

"I'm just so relieved you and Ingrid found shelter, and that everything worked out all right." Then pulling back, she added with a grin, "Hannah and I were actually better off than the rest of you, safe and sound down in the cellar!"

Just then, the lights and electricity snapped back on and the three gave a collective sigh of relief.

As Sully walked over to join his wife and son, Michaela quipped, "I think it would be a good idea to go to church this morning and thank God for all of His mercies, don't you?"

The men of the house grinned and nodded in heartfelt agreement.

OOOOOOOOO

Several hours later, Sully eased himself down into a pew midway up the aisle at church, a half grin adorning his face as he leaned over to Michaela and whispered, "I just hope nobody comes up and greets me with a clap on the back."

Michaela turned toward him, concerned. "Oh Sully...that's a distinct possibility...perhaps it will help if I keep my arm around your shoulders, like this..." she paused, her eyes widening a little as something caught her attention and she stared past his head.

"What?" he asked, starting to turn, but thinking better of it.

"I'm just looking at...a family that is walking in the door..." she stated in a hushed tone.

"Yeah?" he asked, wondering at her reaction to what should be a common occurrence.

"Mom!" Hannah whispered from her position on Michaela's right. "Jared and his whole family is here...even their _dad_!"

"I see that, sweetheart," Michaela whispered back. "Hush now and turn around...it isn't polite to stare...and we don't want to make them feel uncomfortable."

Hannah nodded and obeyed, but quickly leaned to her sister to spread the news. Colleen immediately leaned to whisper the momentous news to her brothers, all of the children fighting against the incredibly strong urge to turn and stare.

Within a few moments, however, Sully felt a presence next to him, and he turned his head to see Jared standing there smiling pleasantly, his mother next to him.

"Hi Sully...Dr. Mike," the young man greeted.

"Jared...Ellen," Sully responded, painfully forcing himself to stand and offer his hand in greeting to the woman, and nodding at the Miller girls. Finally, his eyes met the husband's.

"Miller...welcome," he stated, extending his hand for the other man to shake.

The man hesitated until his wife turned her head to look up at him pointedly. Huffing a quiet sigh of defeat, the man reached out his hand and shook Sully's.

"It's good to see you guys here," Sully offered, pausing as Michaela and the children extended their own welcomes.

"It's been a long time...but we really wanted to come today and...show thanks to God for yesterday," Ellen explained quietly, ignoring her husband as he shifted uncomfortably and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Isn't that right, Harv?" she prompted gently.

"Yeah...right," the man grunted grudgingly.

She went on, "We saw a funnel cloud hovering up in the sky, almost above our trailer...so the children and I prayed for safety, and it turned the other way, and didn't touch down..."

"Let's sit down, woman," her husband interrupted, reaching out to take her arm and, albeit gently, tug her toward the pew across the center aisle from the Sullys'.

The Miller children filed into the aisle, casting glances around as they took in their surroundings, since it was the girls' first time there, and Jared had only been there as a small child. Harv settled down at the end of the pew, glancing uncomfortably over at Sully sitting six feet away.

Just then, Jake paused by the Sully's pew, his hand automatically moving to give Sully a friendly clap on the back, but paused when Michaela moved her arm protectively behind her husband and gave him a stern look.

Puzzled, eyebrows raised, he shrugged and looked down into Sully's eyes, unable to resist teasing his friend just a little.

"Hey Sully...I called your phone yesterday and tried to leave a message...but I plumb forgot what I was gonna say after that steamy greeting of yours."

Sully turned his head to look up at his friend, knowing the more he reacted, the more Jake would needle him.

"That so?" he replied with studied nonchalance.

"Yeah." Then leaning forward, he added in a loud whisper, "What'cha tryin' to do, Mr. Romeo, make the rest of us husbands look bad?"

"That's an idea," Sully responded, with a raised eyebrow, but grinning when Jake winked and continued on down the aisle to sit with his wife.

Within a few minutes, the Reverend made his way to the front and began the service, taking time to greet their visitors, but mercifully not requesting that they stand. He encouraged the congregants to make sure they took the time to let the visitors know they were welcome.

Michaela and Sully, as well as the kids, exchanged several amazed glances as the service got underway, praise and worship sung, announcements made, and offerings collected.

Appropriately, the Reverend's sermon subject was 'Being Grateful for God's Protection,' citing many instances he had heard from his congregation regarding thankfulness for their homes or lives being spared during the horrendous storm the day before.

As he ended his sermon, he instructed everyone to bow their heads in prayer.

"_Oh Lord," _the Reverend solemnly began, "_we humbly thank You for all that You do for us...for watching over us, our families, our homes, and our friends, especially yesterday during the storm...for giving us second chances to fulfill a promise, follow through on 'good intentions', right a wrong or ask forgiveness for an offense, or to extend forgiveness...for providing that which we need on a daily basis...for loving us all...and most of all, for sending Your Son to die for us, taking our punishment with His own body and allowing us to be forgiven and set free. Thank You, Father. These things we pray in the Precious Name of Jesus. Amen."_

As the prayer was spoken, one man opened his eyes and looked across the aisle at another man, the words knocking at the door of his heart - a heart that had been locked shut for most of his life.

OOOOOOOOO

After lunch, as the girls were clearing the table, Sully sat pensively, leaning forward in his chair, his elbows resting on his knees.

Michaela watched her husband for a few moments, finally reaching over and taking hold of his hand.

"Sully...is everything alright?" she asked gently.

He smiled softly and brought her hand up, brushing it with his lips.

"Michaela...what happened yesterday...and somethin' the Reverend said...it's got me thinkin'..." he murmured.

"Thinking about...how fast things can change?" she softly interjected. "Because...I was thinking that too...when Hannah and I left yesterday, the sky was blue, the air was warm...everything seemed wonderful. I had no inkling what we would all be going through in just three hours time."

"Yeah..." he nodded, his expression far away.

After a moment, his eyes met hers again. "I need ta show you something," he murmured, standing up and tugging at her hand.

"What, sweetheart?" she asked, rising with him.

"C'mere," he whispered, and she followed him over to the stairs and up to their room.

Hunkering carefully down, he took hold of one of the stones on the lower left edge of the fireplace, pulling it loose and out. Behind it was a small metal box. Standing up slowly, he moved to his chest of drawers, retrieved a small key, and opened the box, showing the contents to his wife. A small roll of bills wrapped in a rubber band, and several folded sheets of paper were inside.

"This...is our important papers...and emergency money," he confessed, looking sheepishly into her eyes.

"Sully..." she began, a little surprised.

"I know...I shoulda showed 'em to you sooner. I meant to...and I thought about it after the rattler incident, but kinda forgot."

"What _are_ these?" she asked curiously, fingering the papers. He motioned toward the bed, and they crossed to sit on it.

"Go on...take 'em out," he encouraged, and she unfolded the top one. It was the deed to the 1,500 acres she had given him on their wedding day. A half smile graced her face. and she looked up at him, arching one eyebrow. "I wondered where you put that."

He grinned and motioned for her to continue. Next, she took out their marriage license and adoption papers showing Sully as the children's legal father – and Michaela, Hannah's legal mother. She smiled and hugged them to her chest a moment, before reaching for the next – Hannah's birth certificate and the paper granting his divorce and giving him full rights to his daughter.

He smiled and shrugged a little when she glanced up at him. "Yeah...guess I don't need that one last one anymore, huh?"

She shook her head and he continued, "I keep everything else in that filing cabinet downstairs...but the most important ones I've always kept up here...just like my dad did, and his dad before him...and his dad before him," he explained with a chuckle. "Heck, maybe Sully even did, who knows. Plus, I always keep a small stash of money, for emergencies. Hannah's known about that since she was big enough to keep a secret – and now you do too. I, uh, add to it now and then when I get a little ahead."

Michaela sat quietly, digesting the news, feeling conflicting emotions. A tiny bit of hurt that he hadn't shown her before...but also a fear or dread that he had shown her now – not even wanting to imagine a time when she would need to have access to them...because _he_ wasn't there to handle their affairs.

He dropped his head for a moment before looking back up and meeting her eyes apologetically. "I'm sorry I waited so long. I truly meant to show you on our weddin' night...but..." he paused, a rakish grin forming on his lips. "I was kinda busy...and very distracted."

She chuckled and grinned at him knowingly. "_Were_ you, now?"

He grinned more, leaning in, albeit slowly and with a grimace, for a soft kiss. "Yeah," he whispered, '_awesomely_ distracted."

When he pulled back, she asked softly, "And how much money is here?" as she picked up the roll and held it in her hand.

"About five hundred, give or take. And neither one of us will spend this money on anything without the other's full knowledge and consent..." he added softly, meeting her eyes.

"Sully, of course not!" she exclaimed softly. Watching emotions chase each other across his face, realization dawned.

"Did Abby...?"

He nodded, pressing his lips together at the memory that still left a bad taste in his mouth. "Yeah...she used to dip into it all the time to buy clothes, or things for her hair, or who knows what. One time when the truck broke down, I came up here to get the money to fix it and there was only about five dollars." He shook his head at the memory. "I really blew my stack at her that day."

Michaela raised a hand, caressing his arm softly. "I don't blame you."

He smiled and lifted a hand to caress her face. "And I know you won't ever do that...I don't want ya to think I held off tellin' ya because I...didn't trust you or something. I just truly forgot. Last two times I added money to it, you weren't home...and when you got back..." he paused, wiggling his eyebrows at her to let her know what they had done when she returned.

She nodded, truly believing he had not meant to keep it from her. "That's all right, really."

Smiling in relief, Sully pulled her to him for a long, loving hug.

After a few minutes, a knock sounded on their door, and Hannah's voice asked for entrance.

At Sully's call, Hannah opened their door, glancing at the open box and roll of money in Michaela's hand. "Is everything alright? I mean...is there some kind of emergency?"

"No, honey. Mom and I are just discussing something," Sully answered vaguely, flashing Michaela a grin.

"Oh, good," the girl responded with a relaxed sigh. "Um, can I..._may_ I, go over to Becky's house for awhile?"

"How're you gonna get there?" Sully asked, knowing the girl lived at least twenty minutes away.

"Matthew said he'd take me."

"What about Colleen...doesn't she want to go?" Michaela asked, suddenly realizing their other daughter seemed to be nowhere in sight.

"No, she said she didn't feel like it. She's laying on her bed."

Exchanging glances with his wife, Sully answered, "Yeah, you can go. Be good."

"Okay, thanks Daddy," the girl replied, moving over to give her parents a kiss before running out the door and disappearing down the stairs to find her brother.

"I think I'll check on Colleen," Michaela murmured, handing her husband the roll of money and pressing a kiss to his lips. He kissed her back with a grin, and then returned the items to their hiding place, deciding then to stretch out on the bed and rest his aching muscles.

Making her way across the hall, Michaela knocked softly on the door, opening it when she heard a soft, "Come in..."

Colleen was lying on her side on her bed with her back to the door, her head propped on one hand, idly plucking at a loose thread on her comforter.

"Colleen?" Michaela murmured, crossing to sit next to her daughter, gently placing her hand on the girl's forehead. "Hannah said you're not feeling well. Are you coming down with something?"

"No, I'm not sick or anything...just thinkin'," she replied quietly.

"Oh," Michaela replied, watching Colleen's face for a moment. "Anything you want to talk about?"

The girl shrugged slightly, staring straight ahead. Then shifting her eyes up to her mother's, she murmured softly, "I...I've been thinkin' a lot about...about the hail storm...and what Dad did."

Michaela smiled and reached out to smooth a strand of her daughter's blond hair back from her face.

"Your father loves you – and Brian – very much."

"Yeah...and that feels so awesome...to have a Dad that loves me that much...it's something I've always dreamed of..." she murmured, her eyes dropping thoughtfully back down to the coverlet.

"It's something that I wished for...and prayed for, for all of you, for so long," Michaela offered.

Nodding, Colleen turned her eyes to her mother's again, struggling to voice what was in her heart. "It's just...well...you know how the Reverend is always talkin' about bein' thankful for what Jesus did for us? How He took those 'stripes' from the whip, for us?"

Michaela nodded, allowing her daughter to finish her thought.

"Well...I never really understood before...what that meant. I guess it seemed like just _words_ to me, and I couldn't imagine anyone doing that _for_ someone else...but now..." she paused, searching her mother's eyes. "Mom...Dad sacrificed himself for me and Brian out there. He pulled us to him and leaned over us, takin' every one of those hail stones _for_ us, even though each one hurt 'im. Even during it, I could see how much pain he was in..." she choked, soft tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks.

"Oh honey..." Michaela murmured softly, her own eyes filling as she once again imagined those few horrible minutes.

"And though his back is bruised and all and it's not near as bad as what happened to Jesus... I just can't stop thinking about it..." she added with a sniffle.

Reaching out to touch a finger to the girl's chin, Michaela asked softly, "Would you like to talk to the Reverend about it?"

Colleen gazed up at her, tears shimmering in her brown eyes. Nodding softly, she whispered, "Yeah...I think so."

Michaela smiled lovingly and stood, reaching down for her daughter's hand. "Let's go give him a call, hmm?"

OOOOOOOOO

Several days later, Sully paused in his chore to answer his cell phone.

"Hey Sully," came Robert E.'s cheerful voice.

"Robert E. How are ya, man?" Sully responded, resting his weight against the rake he had been using.

"Aw can't complain...except Grace told me this mornin' that she's invited her whole family...includin' her _mother_...over here for Thanksgivin'."

Sully laughed out loud, knowing about the somewhat volatile relationship his friend had with his outspoken, Creole mother-in-law. "That right?"

"Yeah...oh man," the man moaned playfully.

"Aww, it'll be alright. Make some excuse to go check on somethin' in the shop if ya need a break," Sully advised playfully.

His friend laughed in response. "Yeah, that might work. And uh...speakin' of the shop..."

"Yeah?" Sully responded, stepping over to sit down on the porch steps.

"Well...I hate to mention it, but...I got a chance at some extra work after the first of the year...but I kinda need that bay your El Camino's in..."

"Oh sure, man. Push it outside if you need..."

"Aw, I don't wanna do that...we done so much to it already..."

"Well...tell me what I can do to help..."

"Well, you know that fender, tailgate, and the bumpers you wanted to replace?"

"Yeah..."

"My friend Bob over at R.J. Salvage called me a little while ago, and said he'd just got in some older cars and one of 'em is an El Camino, same year. Said it's in pretty good shape, too."

"That's great, man. I'll run over there today and check 'em out."

"This could be the break we been needin'."

"Yeah, sounds like it. Thanks, man. Talk to ya later."

"Okay, Sully."

Pressing the disconnect button and glancing at his watch, Sully saw it was half past noon. Knowing Michaela was still at Loren's, shopping for their Thanksgiving turkey (to replace the ruined one) and other things she needed for the meal two days later, he worked a little more on the chore he was doing, then took a break, making his way up to the house.

Thinking he should call Michaela and let her know where he was going, he hesitated, remembering she had been a little testy that morning...probably a combination of pregnancy grouchiness and the pressure of cooking for the holiday, so he took the coward's way out and opted to leave her a note. Smirking to himself that he'd found a way to escape a grilling, he reached for a scrap piece of paper and scribbled a short note of where he was going and that he would be back soon.

Walking to the bottom of the stairs, thinking it had worked right into his needs that the school had called an unexpected In service Day, he called, "Hey, kids!"

"Yeah, Dad!" Matthew called down, and then came to the head of the steps with phone in hand.

"I'll be back in a little while. Be sure to help your mom carry in and put away the groceries, all right, son?"

"Sure Dad," the young man answered distractedly, wanting to get back to his conversation with a certain pretty blond.

Walking back in the kitchen and smiling as he re-read his note, feeling that this gesture would keep him out of the doghouse in case she came back in the same mood in which she left, he propped it against the napkin holder on the kitchen table and turned to go, letting Wolf out the door along with himself.

"Stay, boy," he ordered the dog as he climbed into the cab of his pickup, not knowing that the closing of the house's door had swooshed the note clear off of the table, and it had slid neatly underneath the stove, totally out of sight.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela stood perusing a shelf at the mercantile, thinking about the long conversation she had just had with Dorothy.

"_Don't worry about it, Michaela. Sully understands. That man is head over heels crazy about you – and I'm sure he understands if sometimes right now you might get a little...testy."_

"_Oh, but Dorothy, I don't want to be 'testy' – I thought once the morning sickness subsided, I would go back to my normal self, but I can't seem to get back to being the wife that I want to be. I just want things to be normal again..."_

_Dorothy laughed softly and shook her head. "Normal? Oh honey, if 'normal' is what you want, you never should have gotten pregnant!"_

_At Michaela's confused look, she went on, "Being a physician, I thought you'd know certain things...but I guess it's not something that can be explained in a text book..."_

"_No...it certainly isn't." Michaela shook her head, pursing her lips. _

"_Oh Michaela, it's different for every woman – and each baby is different. Why, I had three babies and each pregnancy was different from the others. With my first, I cried nearly the whole nine months, drove my husband nuts! Then with the second, I felt like I wasn't even pregnant most of the first six months. Oh, then the third, I was grouchy and snapped at everything. Thought I'd never get back to a good humor again..."_

"Findin' everything you need, Dr. Mike?" the old man asked kindly, pausing near her as he dusted the cans on the shelf she was staring at.

Shaking herself from her reverie, she murmured, "Oh...yes...I was...trying to decide how many cans of cranberry sauce I would need Thursday."

Loren surveyed her face for a moment, deducing that she was thinking about more than the fixings for a meal.

"Mmm hmm...that's a mighty tough decision, all right..." he responded softly.

Glancing at him, Michaela chuckled and blushed a little, selecting two cans and putting them in her cart.

"Me and Dorothy are lookin' forward to comin'," he commented. "Are Cloud Dancin' and his missus still gonna come?"

"Yes...we wanted to get in a visit with them before the year was out because Sully and I will be in Boston for Christmas..." she answered smilingly.

"Yeah," he responded, keeping to himself the fact that he was saddened to hear they would be away for Christmas and he wouldn't be able to spend the holiday with his granddaughter...or rather now, grand_children._

"Dorothy's bringin' a vegetable and a desert Thursday, right?" he added, watching her face. She nodded with a distracted smile.

"Well, when you're ready to go, I'll carry the turkey to the car for ya," he offered with a grin. "I saved a nice twenty pounder for ya - replacin' the one that spoiled in your cellar," he added with a chuckle.

"Oooh! Don't remind me!" she shuddered, remembering the horrible smell...and the terrible spat it had caused between her and Sully.

He chuckled again and moved to continue dusting, but glanced at her face, which was once again in deep thought.

"You all right, Dr. Mike? I mean...you feelin' all right? The baby...?"

Glancing at him and seeing the concern etched on his wise old face, she sighed tiredly and nodded, slipping a hand to softly caress her as yet small belly.

"Oh yes, the baby's fine...I was just thinking...about..."

As she paused, something in her eyes clued the old man in, and he grinned and nodded gently. "You and Sully have a spat?"

"Oh no...nothing like that," she quickly reassured. "I was just...short with him this morning...over several things. Now...I'm thinking how petty I sounded..." she added sheepishly, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Aww, don't you worry none, Dr. Mike," Loren comforted, giving her a loving pat on the shoulder. "That boy loves you, and he understands ...well...how it is with...a pregnant wife..."

Before she could respond, he went on, chuckling merrily, "Why, I remember when Maud was carryin' our daughter...she'd be huggin' me and cryin' one minute, tellin' me how much she loved me - and lookin' for somethin' ta hit me with the next!" he chuckled. "And man, the stuff Sully went through with Abby..."

Remembering Sully mentioning his ex-wife's penchant for throwing pots and pans, Michaela managed a smile.

"Everything'll be all right, you'll see. Why, when you get home, he'll probably be waitin' right there to pull ya in his arms and tell ya how much he loves ya," he added with a wink.

Picturing that scenario, Michaela smiled larger and nodded, consulted her list, and hurried up with her shopping, suddenly anxious to get home and be with her husband. To tell him how much she loved him...and that she was sorry...

OOOOOOOOO

Sully had been walking the yard for nearly an hour, finally locating the El Camino body about which Bob, the owner, had phoned Robert E.

When he had arrived at the salvage yard, Bob was out and his wife, Teri – the business' bookkeeper - couldn't tell him exactly where on the yard to find the vehicle. Sully had driven his pickup through the gate and up and down rows of cars in various stages of dismantling, but toward the back of the yard where recent arrivals were offloaded, the rows of cars disintegrated into chaos and he had abandoned the truck and struck out on foot.

Now, he stood looking at the vehicle of interest, examining its tailgate, bumpers and fenders for rust and dents. Satisfied that it was indeed in satisfactory condition, he reached to the back pocket of his jeans for the wrenches he would need to remove the parts.

"Well, well, would ya look at _this_," a familiar voice sneered somewhere to his left.

Sully turned his head and located the source, gritting his teeth when he encountered the sneering face of Harv Miller smirking at him through the dismantled shell of a Toyota.

"What'dya doin' in a place like this, Mr. _Owns Half The County_ Sully? I figured you'd just go out to a dealer and buy a new car if the one you got quit on ya. Only poor people like me have ta get their stuff at a 'junk yard'," he added in a softly sarcastic tone.

Sully huffed a sigh and turned back to what he'd been doing. "It's still a free country, Miller. Get off my back."

"Yes, siiiiiiiiir," the other man replied exaggeratedly, disappearing from view.

"Just what I need - _Harv Miller_ here to be a thorn in my side. _Dang it_, I hope he finds what he needs and gets on outta here," Sully grumbled under his breath as he set about taking the bolts out of the back bumper.

After much hard work on bolts that were nearly rusted solid, crawling under the car to reach hard to get at bolts (which aggravated his still not quite healed back), and tugging and pulling to separate the parts from the rest of the vehicle, Sully began the arduous task of transporting the heavy items, one at a time, back to where he had parked the truck. With his back still sore, he found it much more difficult than it normally would have been.

As he neared the parted out vehicle for the last and heaviest piece, the bumper, and thinking he might have to just drag it to the pickup, he sighed inwardly as he saw his nemesis sitting in the bed of the El Camino, his feet propped on the detached part.

"You mind gettin' your feet off my bumper, Miller?" Sully asked, striving to keep his voice even, despite the fact that his bruised back was aching, he was dirty, tired, and hungry, having left the house before lunch and now it was late afternoon.

"_Your_ bumper?" the man intoned. "You pay for it? Cause...I don't see your name on this here item and...it just so happens that I need one just like it for my truck."

"Come on, Miller! This wouldn't fit your old Ford and you _know_ it!" Waiting a beat, he added, "Now move outta the way, I got stuff to do."

"Uh uh, you're gonna have to _make_ me move, _Sully boy_," the man sneered, using the nickname he had for Sully when they were kids.

Sully clamped his hands on his hips, tilted his head back and shut his eyes, striving to keep his temper under control – but with Harv Miller, that was always difficult. The man knew just where to stick the pins.

Sighing and shaking his head, Sully fixed his eyes on the other man, about to give him 'what for', but stopped short when he saw the expression on his face. He was gazing past Sully, straining his eyes as if trying to see something in the distance.

All kidding and bullying forgotten, the man murmured, "What the...?"

Sully turned and gazed across the vast yard. "What?"

"The main gate...I just watched somebody shut it."

"Nah, that can't be...they don't close till five...and besides, they know we're in here," Sully replied, taking his cell phone from his belt and punching in the business' numbers conveniently listed on a large painted sign he could see standing outside the fence. The phone rang and rang, finally being picked up by an answering machine.

Sully closed his phone with an angry clap. "_Dang_ it, this just beats all," he grumbled, clamping his phone back on his belt, and taking off at a run for the gate, Miller right behind him.

Sailing over discarded car parts as if they were obstacles on a tract field, and sprinting around vehicles large and small, including several old buses, the men tried to get to the gate before everyone left.

Suddenly, Sully saw a black object appear to his right. When his eyes registered what it was, he reached over and pulled the other man to a screeching halt.

"What?" the man huffed, bending over with his hands on his knees to rest his slightly overweight body, before his eyes encountered the same object, which expanded to two and then three.

Dogs. Rottweilers, to be precise. _Junkyard_ dogs.

The men stood still, sucking air into their lungs while trying not to move as they stared at the three muscled and mean looking animals. Slowly, their lips began to pull back into snarls as they began to growl menacingly.

"Oh sh**..." Miller murmured softly, but it was enough to break the ice.

As the dogs started at them, Sully yelled, "RUN!"

The other man turned and ran back the way they had come, right on Sully's heels, his feet moving as fast as they would go. Their adrenaline pumping madly, the men could hear the animals barking loudly as they quickly gained on them.

Looking around in a full out panic, Sully spied one of the old school buses, now being used to store various parts, and he veered toward it, yelling, "This way! C'mon!"

Tripping over several pieces of discarded metal, the dogs almost upon them, the men, their hearts in their throats, made it to the lifesaving shelter. They shoved on the door, the hinges of which were old, rusty, and stiff, as Miller bellowed, "Open, da**it!"

Finally it gave way, and Sully yelled, "GO!" as he put his hand on the bigger man's back, shoving him up the steps, with him following right behind.

Just then, the first of the dogs arrived and lunged, managing to get a tooth onto one of Sully's boots. He quickly kicked it away, but before he could shut the door in its face, the second dog reached them, jumping up over its companion with one objective – sinking its teeth into an intruder. Sully turned quickly in reaction, and the dog's jaw collided forcefully with his cell phone, knocking it from his belt and on to the dirt several feet away.

Working together, the men got the door slammed shut, slumping down simultaneously on nearby seats. Panting and out of breath, the dogs barking, snarling, and jumping at the door and windows, the two men were very thankful to have made it inside in the nick of time.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela pulled up in the yard, glancing around and noticing Sully's pickup was conspicuously absent. For a moment, she felt a twinge in her heart as she remembered their last conversation had been a trifle heated, to say the least.

Pulling up next to the house, she noticed the pile of leaves and small limbs that had been raked up from the tremendous storm of the weekend, and she remembered yelling at him about cleaning up the storm debris. It appeared that he had been called away in the middle of that task. The barn doors were secured, paddock gate closed. He didn't seem to be anywhere around.

Taking a small bag from the back seat of the Escalade, she mounted the porch steps and entered the front door.

"Anyone home?" she called as she put her purse down and took off her jacket.

Within a few moments, she heard the patter of feet coming down the stairs, led by Brian, the girls following soon after.

Brian ran up to his mother and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You were gone a long time," the boy commented.

"Yes, I stopped in to chat with Dorothy for awhile, and then I went to the grocery," she answered, trying to hide the fact that she was curious regarding the whereabouts of her husband.

"Did Grandpa send anything for us?" Hannah asked with a grin, knowing her Grandfather couldn't resist spoiling the kids, just a little.

"Matter of fact, yes. But it's in the bags in the car," she replied, reaching over to caress her daughter's face. "Is Matthew upstairs?"

"Yeah. He's been talkin' on the phone for _hours_," Colleen replied, rolling her eyes.

Michaela chuckled a bit. "Ingrid?"

"Yes!" both girls replied in unison.

Chuckling again, Michaela reached down to touch Brian's chin lovingly. "Brian, would you go up and tell Matthew I need his help, please?"

"Yes, Mama," he replied, dashing up the steps.

Within a few moments, Matthew descended the stairs, cell phone to his ear, to help bring in the heavier groceries. When all was inside and the door shut, he ended his call, and began to help put the items away.

Glancing his way, Michaela bit her lip for a moment and tried to ask nonchalantly, "Do you know where your father went?"

"Nope, he just said he'd be back in awhile and for me to help you with the groceries," the young man responded, holding small white bags of candy high overhead, teasingly out of reach of his younger sisters and brother.

"Matthew!" "Come on, let us have it! Please?" they begged.

"Nope, you gotta do a trick for it, like Wolf," their older brother teased.

Brian immediately went to his knees, his hands in the traditional "begging dog" position as he 'panted', even adding a bark in a good imitation of their beloved pet.

Matthew laughed out loud. "Good boy! Catch!" he responded, dropping the white bag into his brother's hands. Brian responded with a characteristic squeal.

The girls, feeling frisky, looked at one another and then simultaneously set upon Matthew's shins, as if to attack them with their teeth.

"Aaahhh! Here!" he immediately yelled, quickly dropping the bags of candy to his giggling sisters.

Watching their antics with a small smile and an admonition to only eat one piece before dinner, Michaela nevertheless felt uneasy, her missing husband's whereabouts weighing on her conscience. _Surely he isn't staying away angry...or hurt...that's not like Sully. _

Turning to Matthew, she asked casually, "How did your father seem when he left? I mean...was he in a hurry...or agitated...or...anything?"

Not registering the concern in his mother's voice as he was tickling both of his sisters at the same time, amid loud squeals, Matthew responded, "Nope, seemed normal to me."

Michaela digested this for a few minutes as she slowly put grocery items away.

Finally, she walked over to her purse and retrieved her cell phone. Touching the screen, she immediately saw there were no missed calls or texts. Drawing in a large breath, unable to stand the suspense any longer, she pressed the quick dial for his number.

One ring...two...three...four...then his voice came on with his familiar message, _"You have reached Sully...husband of..." _

She waited for the beep and then said softly, "Hey...I was just wondering where you are...call me...okay?" and hung up from the call.

After a few moments of staring into space, she determinedly pasted a smile on her face and placed the phone down on the table.

Turning to her daughters, she said, "Girls, would you set the table please while I get dinner started?"

"Okay, Mama," Hannah laughed, dodging out of Matthew's reach.

Pulling pans and bowls out of the cabinets, Michaela's heart began to speed up and she felt a strong surge of fear flood her emotions as she pleaded silently, _**Sully...what is happening? Where are you? Call me...**_


	7. God Moves in Mysterious Ways

**CHAPTER 7 – God Moves in Mysterious Ways**

"You run pretty fast for a big guy," Sully joked as his heart rate began to return to normal.

"You move pretty fast yourself...for a short guy," Miller added, chuckling when Sully flashed him a look. "Just kiddin'," he added as he ran a hand through his hair and wiped the sweat from his face, beginning to relax.

Looking around at their surroundings, an old school bus, now dirty with oil and grease from the parts of old cars being stored on its seats and in the back where a few seats had been removed, Miller wondered aloud, "What now?"

"You got your cell phone on ya?" Sully asked, turning to look out a window at _his_ connection to the world lying in the dirt.

"I ain't got one," the other man admitted, a trifle sheepishly.

"Oh...sorry," Sully murmured, not having intended on embarrassing the man.

"Forget it."

"Well...Michaela knows where I'm at. I left her a note. She'll wonder when I don't come home, and she'll come lookin' for me," Sully stated, both for his own benefit as well as the other man's, though silently wondering what she would do when she saw the yard was closed up and locked.

"Yeah...but when'll _that_ be?" Miller asked, trying to shift to a more comfortable position on the hard seat.

"Shouldn't be more than a few hours," Sully offered hopefully.

"Great," the other man muttered. Just then, the dogs began another barrage of barking and jumping right outside the window he was leaning against. "SHUT UP OUT THERE!" he bellowed. They only got louder.

Sully chuckled. "Gettin' mad ain't gonna help, Miller."

"Oh _yeah_? You got any BETTER ideas?" his reluctant partner snapped.

Sully sighed softly and rolled his eyes, turning his head to look out the front window. "Not at the moment."

Just then, both men heard the unmistakable sound of Sully's cell phone ringing, a distinctive ring, which was a 40 second clip of the song, "When I Close My Eyes".

"That's _Michaela_," Sully murmured as he jumped up and went to the door, intent on somehow rescuing his property, and hoping all three dogs were at Harv's window on the other side.

"Make some noise over there to distract 'em!" he encouraged on the way.

As he looked through the glass, however, he saw one of the dogs sniffing the phone as it 'sang.' After a moment, it started licking the devise.

"Oh _swell_. I think one of the dogs just fell in love with my phone."

The other man burst out chuckling. "Terrific. What _else _is new?"

Harv turned and began beating on the wall and the glass on his side, the other two dogs going ballistic in response. Sully pushed on the door a bit and it emitted a rusty squeak. Interrupted from its inspection of the strange musical device, the dog's head snapped up, eyes meeting Sully's before it launched itself at the door, barking viciously. Sully immediately slammed the door shut, wedging a piece of pipe against it for good measure, and then backing up from the ferocious attack.

"So much for that," he muttered as he took his seat again.

"Don't they _feed_ those animals?" Harv muttered, not expecting an answer.

"Don't seem so," Sully murmured, watching as the third dog went back to his phone and curled its body around it protectively. Sully rolled his eyes and sighed.

OOOOOOOOO

"Where's Daddy?" Brian asked as the family sat down to dinner.

"I'm not sure, sweetheart. He didn't let me know where he went...and he's not answering his cell phone," Michaela admitted softly, thinking about the fact that she had already tried it three times.

"I hope he's all right," Colleen murmured, glancing at her mother worriedly.

"I'm sure he is...I don't...have the feeling that anything is _wrong_ with him," Michaela replied, intentionally omitting the moments of 'terror' she had felt earlier.

Matthew glanced her way, beginning to get an inkling of what his mother was thinking.

"You don't think he's just stayin' away, do ya? I mean..." he stammered to a stop when he saw the reaction flicker for a moment in Michaela's eyes. It was similar to the expression she used to wear after she and David had been at it, and he had stormed out of the house, only to be gone for days.

"Mom, Dad wouldn't do that. Besides, he was fine when he left..." he hastened to reassure her.

"Yes..." she began, pausing when the kitchen phone began to ring.

"I'll get it," Matthew murmured, rising and answering.

"Matthew?" Robert E.'s voice asked.

"Yeah, Robert E. What's up?"

"Oh not much, everything but the right thing, you know," he joked softly.

Matthew chuckled and nodded. "Yeah."

"Your Dad around?"

"Well...no, matter of fact."

"Hmm, you mean he ain't back from the junkyard yet?"

Matthew's eyes flew to Michaela's. "He went to a _junkyard_?"

"Yeah...I called him, oh, before lunch and told him about R.J.'s gettin' in an El Camino they were savin' for me..." he paused, wondering about Matthew's reaction.

"Man, he didn't leave a note or anything – or call Mom and let her know where he was goin', so we didn't know where the heck he went!" Matthew exclaimed, glancing at his family as every member sat still and watched his exchange with their friend.

Robert E. looked at his watch. "It's already past six, and they close at five..."

"Yeah..."

"You call his cell?"

"Yep, he ain't answering."

"Okay...I'll take a drive over there and see what I can find. I'll call ya back."

"All right. Thanks, Robert E.," Matthew replied, before pushing the 'off' button and relaying the message to the rest of the family.

Nodding and emitting a soft sigh, Michaela extended her hands to Brian and Hannah on each side, indicating she wanted to say grace. The others connected hands around the table, Matthew and Colleen spanning the empty space at the end usually occupied by their father, glancing across at each other before shutting their eyes.

Michaela prayed for the meal, for a quick resolve to this puzzle – and for safety for her husband.

OOOOOOOOO

"Man, it's gettin' dark," Harv murmured as he stared out the front window of the bus at the sun just about to disappear over the horizon. "I thought you said that _wife_ of yours would come _lookin__'_ for ya," he groused softly.

"Yeah..." Sully murmured, straining to see his watch in the waning light and disturbed that it was already after 6:30. He wondered what was going on at home, but determinedly tamped down 'imaginings' so he wouldn't drive himself crazy.

"Hey...won't somebody be lookin' for _you?__"_ he suddenly asked the other man.

Shrugging sheepishly, he averted his eyes, murmuring, "Nah...I, uh...don't make it a habit to tell the wife where I'm goin'."

At Sully's furrowed brows, he added self-deprecatingly, "It's always been kind of a...macho thing...like it ain't none of her business..." Shaking his head disgustedly, he added, "Boy though, after this, that's gonna change!"

Sully's mouth curled in a half smile and he shook his head, softly chuckling.

Staring out his window toward the direction of the front gate, he blinked his eyes and refocused, thinking he might be seeing things. It looked like headlights reflecting off the solid metal fencing.

"Hey...somebody's here!" he shouted to Harv as he turned on his seat, struggling to lower the rusty and corroded window. Harv jumped to the seat behind Sully, struggling with that window also as they both began to yell.

Finally the windows crashed down and both men yelled at the top of their lungs, "HEY!" "SOMEBODY!" "ANYBODY!" "WE'RE STUCK IN HERE!" "HELP!"

To their dismay, they could see the lights fading as the vehicle backed up to turn around. They increased their volume, although the dogs had joined in, nearly drowning out their cries and jumping up to try and reach the open windows as their captives made aggravatingly loud noises.

After a few moments, the lights were gone and the men were left alone again with acres of old rusting cars and three hungry dogs – one of whom was having a love affair with Sully's cell phone, which as if on cue, began once again to sing.

Both men watched in frustration as the dog curled up around the device and began to groan and whine along with the music.

OOOOOOOOO

The phone in the kitchen rang, and Michaela wiped her hands on a dishtowel and answered it as the children hurriedly made their way near.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Mike?" Robert E.'s voice came back.

"Robert E., did you find him?"

"Nope. I went to R.J.'s, but it was locked up tighter than a drum. Even went to the office door, but nobody was around, big padlock on the yard gate. I didn't spot his truck anywhere on the way. I got no idea where the heck he is."

"Oh Robert E...where could he _be_?" Michaela murmured, lowering herself into a chair, one hand unconsciously moving to cup and protect the tiny life inside her as she wondered where its father was at that moment.

"I don't know, Dr. Mike," the man returned softly. "He didn't say anything at all about goin' anywhere? Somethin' you guys needed? Somebody he needed to go see?" he asked, grasping at straws as he now had become concerned about his friend.

"No. I haven't even seen him since this morning..." she hesitated, wondering if she should tell their friend that the last words she had with her husband were argumentative. "Matthew saw him when he left, but he said he didn't appear angry or upset or anything..." she added, her voice rising slightly as she fought off worry.

Robert E. could hear the fear in her voice, and he hastened to reassure her, "Well...I'm sure he'll turn up. I'll keep lookin' though. Call me if you hear anything or he comes home."

"I will. Thank you, Robert E."

Pressing the 'off' button, Michaela met her children's worried eyes, and they all gathered around her in a family hug.

OOOOOOOOO

"Da**it! We're gonna be stuck in here the whole f***in' night!" Harv exclaimed after the headlights had disappeared, throwing himself back onto the hard bench that had become his home away from home.

"Would ya mind not cussin'? That don't help nothin'," Sully murmured, raising the windows up again to keep out the cold, then settling down onto his bench, but leaning forward to relieve his still healing back.

"Well '_scuse_ me, Mr. _Perfect_."

Sully silently fixed his eyes on the other man, watching him fidget and grumble as he tried unsuccessfully to find a comfortable position.

"I never said I was perfect," he murmured quietly.

Harv's eyes snapped to his. "You Sullys have always been uppity. Always thought your crap don't stink. Always actin' like you know better'n everybody else about everything," he griped, allowing himself to roll back into the familiar ditch he had occupied his whole life.

Sully pressed his lips together, his mind running back over the years – to his father and his brother – and himself as a boy and teen. "No we didn't," he finally countered. "And besides that, Dad, Brandon _and_ I tried over and over to end this...this feud. But you Millers always seem to want to keep it goin'. What I want to know is..._why_? Does it give you some kind of pleasure to hate me and my family, Miller? I want to know – cause I'll tell ya flat out – I'm fed up to here with it," he added, smacking the bottom of his chin with the back of one hand.

Sully's blue eyes stared into the other man's brown ones for several minutes, but Sully's were free of anger or accusation – merely containing curiosity.

Something about that, added to the words of his wife, his son, and the preacher several days before, caused the crack in the walls around Harv's heart to suddenly widen. Swallowing thickly, he drew in a breath through his nose and clamped his teeth together.

After a few more moments, he dropped his eyes from Sully's and shook his head, feeling a bit like the froth on a boiling pot of water that someone took off the fire. "Nah, at least, not any more," he admitted softly.

Sully remained quiet and still, hoping the other man would continue. A few moments ticked by, and Harv raised his eyes again, now devoid of the anger. "To tell ya the truth...I don't _know_ why - why the Millers always hated the Sullys. I asked my dad once, but he just shrugged and said somethin' like, 'Cause we _do_, that's all.' He'd always say, "Them Sullys got everything, and we got nothin'."

Having heard that generalization hundreds of times, Sully nodded but didn't argue, silently encouraging the other man to continue.

"It just...was somethin' we _did_, you know? Like...like puttin' on our pants everyday. By the time I was grown and married...it was a habit set in...in concrete..." he stammered to a halt, shrugging uncomfortably.

"I know what you mean," Sully replied softly, seeing Harv Miller almost as if for the first time. Looking at the man now, he truly felt sorry for him. Though the same age, he looked ten to fifteen years older than Sully. Harv's hair was already salt and pepper, his face lined with anger and worry, his mouth edged with permanent 'frown' lines.

"Yeah?" the other man breathed, staring back at him.

"Yeah. I'd gotten into a habit of negative thoughts toward you myself...but Michaela made me see things different. She...she made me hope and even believe that things could change. Because of her...I started prayin' for some way to resolve things between us..."

The other man gazed at him, in truth totally amazed at his confession.

"Then...Jared 'borrowed' the ATV and got hurt..."

"So that was God's solution? _Hurt_ my boy?" the other man instantly reacted.

"No, that ain't what I mean!" Sully immediately countered. "God didn't 'cause' that to happen...but I think He made use of it afterwards. Cause...Jared started comin' over and bein' with us – and he saw that we weren't...well...as bad as his father had always said."

The other man clamped his lips together, but stayed quiet. Sully went on, "When I saw Jared changin' – and him and Matthew becomin' friends - it gave me hope that at least the feud would stop with _our_ generation, and that the next one would be free of it."

Harv drew in another breath, mulling Sully's words over in his mind. He remembered back to when he had been a child, trying to understand why his own father had hated people for no reason – the Sullys weren't the only ones he targeted. He couldn't remember when he had slipped into his father's 'shoes'; it seemed to happen gradually.

Suddenly, he realized he was just as sick of it as Sully had said _he_ was. As a wry grin slowly worked its way to his lips, he responded, "And now...maybe God locked them gates and set them dogs loose...for a reason?"

Sully laughed out loud. "Well, I don't know that HE did it, but I bet He wants us to make good use of the time together."

Pausing a trifle awkwardly for a moment, the two men cleared their throats and glanced into each other's eyes. Then Sully put his feet on the floor and leaned toward the other man, his right hand extended.

"Harv Miller, I ask you right now to forgive me for every mean thing I ever said to you, every mean thing I ever did, and for years of dislikin' you. I ask you to be my friend."

The man sat there looking between Sully's hand and his serious blue eyes. Then nodding with decision, slowly lowered his own boots and leaned in, taking the proffered hand in a firm shake across the aisle of the bus. Going one step further, he said, "And I ask you the same – and on my end there were tons more. Byron Sully...from this day on...I'd be proud to call you my friend."

OOOOOOOOO

Several hours later, Brian was asleep in his bed, but the girls and Matthew were sleeping sprawled in various positions on the living room couch and chair.

Michaela had spent a good thirty minutes on the web cam filling their Indian friends in on Sully's mysterious disappearance and asking them to pray for his return. After Cloud Dancing had left the room, Michaela had quietly confided her thoughts and fears to her best friend, confessing about her sharpness with her husband that morning. Snowbird, of course, had immediately assured her that Sully would not have chosen to stay out all night because he was 'miffed' at her. No, the Indian woman had assured, whatever was keeping Sully away from home had nothing to do with _her._

They had ended their conversation with Snowbird confirming she and Cloud Dancing would be leaving first thing in the morning to make the eight hour trek to Colorado Springs for their weeklong holiday visit, assuring Michaela that they would all be laughing at the reasons for Sully's mysterious disappearance.

Now, Michaela paced slowly back and forth in front of the living room's bay window, her arms across her chest. She hadn't been able to make herself go up to their room yet, alone, and climb into their bed without him.

Earlier, they had called the hospitals, of course to no avail, and she had rang and rang his cell phone, hoping on the off chance that he might just pick up...

Stopping in front of the window, she stared up at the moon shining down so brightly. Tears filled her eyes as she realized it was a 'full' moon...and her thoughts went back momentarily to one awesomely romantic 'full moon' night when they had been trying for a baby...the baby she was now carrying within her body.

Sighing softly, she mused, _Where __are__ you,__ Sully?__ Are__ you __all__ right?__ Are __you __angry __with __me?__ Are __you __staying __away __to __teach __me __a __lesson?__ No. __That__'__s __not __like __you __at __all. __Something __must __be __keeping __you __from__ coming__ home __or __calling.__ But __if __you __were __hurt...I__'__d__ KNOW__ it. __I __don__'__t __feel __pain __or __fear __at __all...and __that __almost __frightens__ me...if __you __were...dead...I __would __know__ that...wouldn__'__t __I?_

Staring unseeing at the dark barn across the way, she remembered a passage in the old journal they had read together a month before...

_**May 21, 1871**_

_**Sully and I spent the night of our first anniversary holding our tiny daughter and reminiscing about the journey our love has taken us on since that first unforgettable day we met in Loren's store, and he told me something he hadn't shared with me before. **_

_**I**__** had**__** known **__**that **__**the **__**night **__**of **__**our**__** wedding **__**rehearsal, **__**General **__**Custer **__**had**__** held **__**Sully **__**prisoner **__**in **__**the **__**woods **__**far **__**from **__**Colorado **__**Springs...but **__**last **__**night **__**was **__**the **__**first **__**time**__** Sully **__**told **__**me **__**details **__**about**__** that **__**miserably **__**long **__**night. **__**How**__** the **__**General**__**'**__**s **__**men **__**had **__**kept **__**his **__**hands **__**tied **__**tightly **__**behind **__**his **__**back, **__**cutting **__**off **__**the **__**circulation **__**in **__**his **__**arms. **__**How **__**they **__**had **__**grilled **__**him **__**over **__**and **__**over **__**about **__**Cloud**__** Dancing**__**'**__**s **__**whereabouts, **__**but **__**he **__**had **__**told **__**them **__**nothing. **__**How **__**the **__**soldiers **__**had **__**punched **__**him **__**in **__**the **__**stomach **__**repeatedly **__**and **__**threatened **__**other **__**kinds **__**of **__**worse **__**torture, **__**and **__**gave **__**him**__** neither **__**food**__** nor **__**water **__**as **__**they **__**kept **__**him**__** tied **__**all **__**day **__**and **__**into **__** the **__**night. **__**How **__**the **__**General **__**himself **__**threatened**__** to **__**kill **__**him**__** and**__** just **__**be **__**done **__**with **__**it, **__**until **__**he**__** unexpectedly **__**let **__**him **__**go**__** – **__**albeit **__**without **__**his **__**horse, **__**forcing **__**Sully **__**to **__**have **__**to **__**travel **__**on **__**foot **__**almost **__**twelve **__**hours **__**to **__**make**__** it **__**back**__** by **__**noon **__**the **__**next **__**day.**_

_**I, in turn, told him how I had spent that night, first at the rehearsal with everyone staring at me in pity, and then at the dinner, where everyone was miserable as we waited in vain for him to arrive. I told him of my confession to Rebecca about our spat and that I was truly afraid he had left for parts unknown after I had let mother barge in and take over our wedding...that I feared I had made demands on him that he may have found impossible to accept...that I wouldn't have blamed him if he had changed his mind about marrying me...if he never came back at all. I told him about how I had spent the remainder of that night pacing the floor, crying, worrying, and praying he would come back to me – and the decision I had made that if he did come back, we would just run off and elope, that all I wanted was to be his wife and for him to be my husband. I told him I truly hadn't felt that he was injured or hurt that night...just that for some reason he couldn't or wouldn't come back.**_

_**When he heard my admission, he turned to me, and in spite of his injured shoulder and broken leg, took my hand in his, and looked deeply into my eyes, wanting me to see his sincerity as he spoke from his heart. He said, "Michaela, I swear to you on my honor and my love for you, that I will always return to you. Unless there's no more breath in my body, unless I'm bound so strong it's impossible to break or my body is so broken that I can't at least crawl back, I'll always return. I can't live without you...without your love – and nothin' you could ever say or do will change that fact. Like I told ya before...I will love you all my days..."**_

Michaela knew _her_ Sully felt the same, and somehow, some way, she knew he wasn't physically injured. What the problem was, however...what _force_ was holding him prisoner, she couldn't imagine.

OOOOOOOOO

Sully sat staring out the window of the bus, gazing up at the moon - a 'full moon'. Smiling to himself, he closed his eyes as his thoughts drifted to his gorgeous wife and the hot 'baby making' love they had enjoyed together several full moons ago. He allowed his mind to relive those moments, the images stirring sensations within his body.

He could feel Michaela's angst that he wasn't home - her worry tugging at his heart, pulling at him... begging him to call her. But what he didn't understand was why someone didn't check further about the junkyard. He told her that's where he would be.

Suddenly, his eyes popped open. _Could __somethin__' __ have__ happened__ to__ the__ note?__ Could__ one__ of__ the __kids __have __accidentally __thrown __it __away...I __didn__'__t __put __anything __on __top __of __it __to __weigh __it __down...if __it __somehow __blew__ off __the __table...but __Robert __E.__ knew __where __I__ was __goin__'__..._

"Man, I just can't sleep in here. I'm cold, and da...dang hungry," Harv complained, having seen that Sully's eyes were still open, and he wasn't asleep.

"Yeah. Me too," Sully agreed. "I'm used to sleepin' in a soft, warm bed...snuggled up to..." he stopped, realizing that he was about to 'brag' about his "perfect" life.

"Snuggled up to a dang beautiful woman?" Harv supplied.

Sully looked over at him, though he could barely see him in the darkness of the bus – the moonbeams streaming in the windows the only light.

"Now don't get all riled up," the other man interjected. "You think other men don't see she's just about the prettiest woman around? It was a compliment, that's all," he added matter-of-factly.

"Ellen was pretty, too," Sully returned, quickly amending, "_Is_."

"Aw, I know. She was cute when we first got together, but she's...she's had a hard life with me, and it shows on her. She always was too good for me," he added self-deprecatingly.

"That ain't true," Sully argued gently. "You deserve good things. Your life...is whatcha _make_ it, Harv. You just gotta...play the cards you're dealt and beat the devil at his own game."

"That's easy for _you_ to say!" the other man reacted, but immediately dialed himself back down, adding with a sigh, "Sorry."

"Man, my life ain't been 'perfect'. Think about it. My parents died when I was eighteen, directly because of my 'crazy' girlfriend, my brother died just months later – those two about did me in. Took me two years to scrape myself back up off the ground after that. Then I come home and marry somebody who turns out to be the 'wife from Hades'. The only thing good that came from _that_ was Hannah. Then I spent the next nine years of my life lonely and wishin' I could find a woman that would love me," Sully ended his narrative, realizing it was the first time he had ever put it all together that way – and also realizing again just how much Michaela had blessed his life.

"Yeah...I guess I never thought about all that before, Sully. I...I'm sorry...really," the other man offered sincerely, determinedly trying to form new habits and ways – namely extending himself to understand others.

"But I'll tell ya what I _did_ do during all that," Sully continued. "I just did my _best_. I was the best Daddy I could be to Hannah, I tried to treat others fair, I worked hard, and I hoped and prayed that someday God would smile on me and...grant my wish. Then one awesome June night...He did."

The men lapsed into silence for several minutes, each one deep in thought.

Finally Harv offered quietly, "You're right. I just was always too stubborn to admit it...but most of the bad stuff that's happened to me has been my fault."

Sully stayed silent, just letting him talk.

"I got in trouble all the time in school, but always blamed the teachers, the other kids...even the principle – never myself. When I asked Ellen out and she said yes," he paused, remembering the moment. "I nearly fell over. At first, I treated her good and stuff – though I didn't really know how, seein's how my dad always yelled at my mom, and even hit her sometimes. After we married and I went in the service...I looked around at other guys that seemed to have 'more' than we did, and I just couldn't seem to be happy with what we had." He paused a few minutes, thinking and remembering. Sully knew no words were necessary on his part.

"Then, after Desert Storm, I thought I'd make a career out of the army...but..._I_ messed it up with my drinkin'. Blamed everybody else for it too, like you said before." Stopping for a few moments, he pulled his jacket tighter around himself, pressing against his empty stomach to keep it from growling.

"But through it all, Ellen's stuck with me...gave me three great kids...made do with what little I provided to run the house on...made her own clothes and some of the kids', too. And what do I do? Come home every night, grab a beer, and flop down in the Lazy Boy to watch TV," he answered his own question in a disgusted tone.

"But...I want to do things different, now. I'm sick and tired of bein' sick and tired...ya know? I...I want my wife and kids to be proud of me and happy...like _yours_ are..." he added quietly, confessing things to his previous nemesis that he had never even admitted to himself.

"Well...I'd say you've made a good start, Harv, just admittin' stuff to yourself – and to me," Sully softly replied. "And I'll tell you somethin'...God will help you with this stuff, He really will. If ya ask Him."

"I been thinkin' a lot about _that_, too," the man replied softly. "Every word that preacher said in that sermon was true...and it seemed like he was talkin' right to _me_...yet I knew he don't really know me."

Sully grinned, having had that experience himself many times. "He don't...but God does...and He was speakin' thru 'im. That same kinda thing has happened to me, many times."

The other man was silent for a few minutes, mulling over Sully's words.

"I think...when we get outta here, _if__ we__ ever__ do_," Harv added jokingly. "I think I'll...go talk to that preacher."

"Givin' your heart and life to Jesus is a decision you'll never regret, man. Take it from me...that was the best decision I ever made...with askin' Michaela to marry me comin' in a close second," he added with a chuckle.

Harv chuckled, too, glad Sully had lightened the conversation a little. "Yeah, man. Just how _did_ you get a beauty like that to say, 'yes' anyways?" he joked good-naturedly.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela awoke to the sunrise just peeking in the window. She turned her head, bloodshot eyes trying to focus on the clock and read the time. Seven thirty. Turning her head back to the pillow held tightly in her arms, she breathed in the scent from it again – Sully's scent. The wonderful scent of his hair and skin that never failed to make her feel as if she were floating in heaven.

She had cried herself to sleep – not from worry, but more from loneliness. She missed Sully so much - she _ached_ for him. It had been much worse than when she had been in Boston the week before Halloween. At least then, she'd been able to talk to him and say goodnight, to know that he was warm and snug in bed. Unable to even hear his voice and know that he was all right before she tried to sleep made his absence nearly unbearable.

Rolling slowly to her back, she stretched her legs out, her hands coming to rest on the small mound that was their child. Once again, she missed her husband, as it had become his habit to sleep with his hand curved protectively around their tiny child, and upon waking, to lean down and speak sweet things to it before they rose to start the day. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about him doing that very thing just the previous morning.

Sitting up and swiping at the tears, she told herself, _He'll be home soon. Whatever kept him out last night will be rectified this morning, and he'll be home as soon as he possibly can. And when he does...I'm going to give him my word that I will not allow 'pregnancy' mood swings to make this into a not so happy home! _

Swinging her legs out of the bed, she determinedly set about changing her clothes from the ones she had slept in, then went down the hall to wash her face and begin the day. She had a Thanksgiving dinner for eleven people to begin 'day before' preparations!

OOOOOOOOO

Sully awoke to the sunrise just peeking in the bus window. He blinked slowly, realizing he must have just dozed off, since he and Harv had passed the night away talking of their respective childhoods, dreams, aspirations, heartaches, triumphs, and hopes for the future.

He glanced across the bus to see that his companion for the night had also slipped into a fitful sleep on the uncomfortable seat, and he knew the other man would likely be very stiff upon waking. Testing his limbs, he found what he expected, an achy body, his bottom numb from having slept in a seated position.

He closed his eyes for a minute, trying to picture his beautiful wife just now waking. Somehow, he knew she was. He pictured her clearly in his mind – she was lying on her side in their bed, hugging his pillow to her chest – dressed in the clothes she had worn all day. He winced as he realized she had spent most of the night awake, probably pacing and worrying. Oh, how he wished he could have called her! _The first thing I'm gonna do when I get home, besides kiss and hold her, is make her come upstairs with me and take a good long nap! _

He saw her in his mind's eye stretching as she woke, and placing her hands on the mound where their baby grew. He longed to be there next to her, kissing her awake, leaning down to kiss and talk to the baby in its warm, safe cocoon. _Maybe I've been taking my happiness for granted lately...if so...this night has sure taught me a major lesson! _

Just then, he heard Harv begin to stir, the same sunshine that woke him also waking his companion.

"Mornin'," Sully greeted when he saw the other man open his eyes and yawn.

"Mornin'," Harv grunted, slowly sitting up and leaning to rub his achy body and numb bottom. "What time is it?"

Sully focused on his watch. "'Bout seven thirty."

Just then, the dogs roused and began barking – and running toward the main gate. Sully levered himself up and gazed out the window, watching as the large metal gate began to swing open and a man stepped inside, affectionately petting each dog and scratching them behind their ears. Sully chuckled at that – who would have thought? _They sure did their job of keeping 'intruders' pinned down for the night! _

He watched as the man bent over and took something out of the mouth of one of the dogs, gazing around as if he was looking for something.

"C'mon Harv. Our pardon has just been granted by the Governor," Sully joked as he hauled his tired body up and released the pipe wedging the door shut.

"Hallelujah. I can't wait to get home and gorge myself on one of Ellen's good breakfasts," Harv stated emphatically. At Sully's pointed look, he amended, "That is...after I pick her up and squeeze her and kiss her, tell her how much I love her, and tell the kids how much I love them, too."

Sully winked his approval and chuckled, levering the door open and stepping down into the brisk November morning air.

The man at the gate saw them, nodded as if he'd spotted what he was looking for, and began heading their way. As the men began to move toward him, Harv put his hand on Sully's arm and paused their progress.

At Sully's raised eyebrows, the other man cleared his throat and declared, "I...uh...meant what I said last night. The feud's over. And I gotta say...I'm glad God locked that gate and released them dogs."

"Me too...for _that_ reason, anyway," Sully returned with a grin.

Harv stuck out his hand with a grin and Sully took it firmly in his, then on impulse, pulled the larger man into an impromptu one-armed man-hug, albeit wincing when Harv clapped Sully affectionately on the back.

"Your back sore there, Sully?" he asked in concern.

"Yeah...but I'll tell ya about that some other time," he returned with a grimace.

Just then, Bob, the owner of the yard reached them, the dogs bounding around as if house pets, every ounce of aggression gone in the presence of their master.

"Hey guys, I am SO sorry! I just got Robert E.'s message! Is this yours, by the way?" he asked, holding up Sully's much 'loved' cell phone. "It looks like Delilah here took a liking to it," he added with an apologetic grin.

"Yeah...I noticed," Sully grimaced, gingerly holding the item sticky with dog slobber.

OOOOOOOOO

Thirty minutes later, Sully pulled tiredly up to the house and turned off the truck's motor, _extremely_ glad to be home. As he dragged himself out of the pickup, the front door to the house flew open and five people came running down the porch steps, yelling at once, "Where've you been?" "We were worried!" "Where were you all night?" "What's all the stuff in the back of your truck?" and one final voice, "Oh Sully...I'm SO glad you're finally home!"

Sully hugged each one to his chest before stepping up to his wife and folding her in his arms.

"God I missed you!" he whispered against her hair.

"Where were you all night? I was so worried..."

Pulling back, he murmured, "Let's go inside and I'll tell ya. I'm so hungry I could eat a bear – raw!"

The family laughed and went together up the stairs, each one trying to stay near their beloved father as he and Michaela ascended the steps in each other's arms.

Twenty minutes later, as Sully feasted on a stack of blueberry pancakes, bacon, eggs, and a large glass of milk, with five pairs of eyes watching his every move, he very amusingly told them the whole story. A story that wasn't funny while happening, but now had everyone in stitches – especially "Delilah" being in love with his cell phone.

"So _that__'__s_ why you couldn't answer it!" Michaela realized.

"Yep," he answered, taking a big drink of his milk. "Bob the owner said the dog is crazy about music. I tried every way I could think of during the night to get it away from her, but I couldn't fool her. And every time it rang – you shoulda seen her," he added, rolling his eyes and acting like Pepé Le Pew with the cat in the old cartoons, at which they all erupted in laughter.

"And I'll tell ya – after the abuse it took during the storm, and now this, I think I'll retire that one and get a new one – maybe one like yours," he winked, referring to Michaela's expensive touch screen phone.

"But why did they close early?" Michaela wondered a few minutes later after he had eaten more of his meal.

"Well, Bob wasn't there when I came, only his wife – and she'd been on the phone a lot and didn't see who had gone in or out. They got a phone call that their grandchild had been taken to the hospital, so they panicked, released the dogs from their kennel, locked the gate and barreled out of there. They forgot I was in there, and the truck was hidden from view," he explained, pausing to eat several large bites of his breakfast.

"What were the dogs' names again, Daddy?" Hannah asked, giggling.

"Sampson, Delilah, and Goliath, and believe me, I didn't want to tangle with _any_ of 'em. Then when Bob got there, they were actin' like lap dogs!" he added with a chuckle.

"So, whatdya do all night? Were you lonely and scared? I woulda been!" Brian asked, planted on his knees near his father, just barely giving him room to eat.

"Actually no...I wasn't alone," Sully answered with a grin, taking a large bite of his eggs.

"You weren't?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Who was with you?" Colleen asked.

Locking eyes with Michaela, he grinned over top of his milk glass as he took another drink, swallowing and clearing his throat before he murmured, "Harv Miller."

Michaela's eyes popped open and she chuckled. "You're kidding!"

"Nope. And you know what else?"

She shook her head.

"We spent the night talkin' things out. We told each other things we never dreamed we'd say to each other. And now...we're _friends_."

"Oh, come on. _Harv__ Miller_?" Matthew repeated skeptically.

"Yep. And you know one thing he said? He said that God locked those gates and set the dogs loose – so we'd be forced to spend the night together and work out our differences."

"He said that?" Michaela asked in amazement.

"Words to that affect," he answered with a grin, gulping down several bites of pancakes.

"Miracles still happen..." she murmured softly as she lovingly watched her gorgeous husband wolf down his food as if he hadn't eaten for a week.

"Yep...'specially when _you__'__re_ involved," Sully replied lovingly, leaning over to press a sticky kiss to her lips.

"Me?" she responded, chuckling as she wiped her mouth.

"Mmm hmm. You made me think there was hope, so I been prayin' about it. Since I did, He brought it to pass. All I ever did before, seriously, was 'complain' about it and talk about it – to everybody but _God_."

"Well...it was a miserable night to live through...but since that was the result...I'd say it was worth it," Michaela commented softly.

OOOOOOOOO

Later, snuggled together in their bed for a long nap before they would get up and start the preparations for the Thanksgiving feast the next day, Michaela said softly, "I did a lot of thinking last night."

"Yeah?" Sully asked sleepily.

"Mmm hmm. And I told myself I would say this to you. I'm sorry. I apologize for allowing myself to act out bouts of angry aggression because of my pregnancy. I vow to you that I'm going to try very hard from now on to keep this a 'happy home', and I give you permission to turn me over your knee if need be," she added cheekily.

When he didn't answer, she turned slightly and saw that his eyes were closed and he had fallen completely asleep!

She chuckled softly and snuggled closer, closing her eyes and sighing in complete bliss at being back in her husband's loving arms.

As she slipped off to a comfortable sleep, her last thought was, "Thank You, Lord, for answered prayer, and that the only casualty of the night was a cell phone that received too much affection."


	8. Giving Thanks

**CHAPTER 8 – Giving Thanks**

All six Sullys hurried down the porch steps wearing huge grins as their Indian friends pulled their old pickup to a stop in front of the homestead Wednesday evening.

Laughing happily, Snowbird opened her door, stepping into Michaela's waiting arms for a warm hug, followed quickly by Hannah and Colleen.

"Haho," Cloud Dancing greeted as he opened his door and climbed out, offering his right arm to his brother in the traditional Cheyenne greeting. Sully immediately clasped with him, however, quickly used the arm to pull his brother into a tight hug.

"How was your trip?" Michaela asked, pulling back to give her best friend a good perusal. "And look at you! Oh my goodness, I think you're showing even more than _I_ am!" she added as Snowbird giggled, both women gleefully touching and 'measuring' each other's still tiny 'baby bellies'.

"The trip was long, with quite a few 'potty' breaks to test my husband's patience," Snowbird confided wryly, causing both women to chuckle in complete camaraderie.

Cloud Dancing clasped arms with Matthew. "Haho Brave Bear..." Then scooping Brian up into his arms, "...Bright Moon. It is good to see you again," he murmured with affection.

"Cloud Dancin', I missed you!" Brian gushed, hugging his Cheyenne father tightly around the neck. Pulling back, he offered haltingly, "Ehoó...nô...se...täno," before hugging him again.

The Indian met Sully's eyes past Brian's blond head, smiling as Sully looked on with love and pride. "I have missed you, also, Bright Moon," he murmured softly, touched by his small nephew's attempt at speaking his language.

"It just ain't the same around here without ya, Cloud Dancin'," Matthew added.

The Indian pressed his lips together and nodded, murmuring, "It is good to be back...with the _rest_ of my family."

Snowbird pulled the girls close to her sides, giving them another affectionate squeeze. "Have you two been keeping up with your dancing?" she asked them, smiling contentedly as each one nodded vigorously and launched into simultaneous responses of "Yes, ma'am!" "Every day!" "Wait till you see us, Snowbird!" "Matthew said we could win 'America's Got Talent'!"

"Oh my! I will be very excited to see what you have learned," she responded, glancing at Michaela's face, which was glowing with pride.

Sully clapped his arm around his brother's shoulders as they all turned to go into the house, teasing, "When you gonna scrap this old pickup and get you somethin' newer?"

"Scrap my Chevy _Cheyenne_?" the other man returned in mock surprise. "That would be sacrilege!" he added, the men chuckling merrily.

"I have asked him the same thing, Sully," Snowbird chimed in as she reached to lovingly hug Matthew, Brian, and finally her brother-in-law. "When the baby arrives, there will barely be room for the car seat and us, too."

As they reached the porch steps, Snowbird remembered her contribution to the Thanksgiving meal and turned to her husband. "Oh, Cloud Dancing, my persimmon cake, would you bring it in for me, please?"

Rolling his eyes and chuckling, he turned back to get it from the cooler strapped in the bed of the pickup as the others continued on into the house.

"Hey, why don't we go ahead and put your stuff in the clinic so you won't have to worry about that later?" Sully suggested, having accompanied his brother to the back of the truck.

"Might as well," Cloud Dancing agreed with a grin as they both climbed in the cab. The Indian started the engine and began backing down the gravel drive, glancing at his brother as he did so.

"So...you and Harv Miller are..._buddies_ now?" he asked with a wry grin. Though Sully had briefly told his brother about the reconciliation on the phone, Cloud Dancing had been witness to countless altercations between the Sullys and the Millers over the years, and this sudden change of heart amazed him.

Sully glanced back at his brother and pressed his lips together, snickering softly and shaking his head in lingering amazement. "Yep, guess you could say that. Dangdest thing _I__'__ve_ ever seen."

At his brother's raised eyebrow, he added, "We figured since God went to all the trouble to 'lock us in together' and 'turn loose the dogs', He just might'a been tryin' to tell us somethin'."

Cloud Dancing shook his head and chuckled softly. "You get yourself into the most amazing situations, my brother."

"Don't I though?" Sully laughed.

Stopping next to the clinic's back door, the two men hopped out and gathered the Indian couple's luggage and other paraphernalia from under a securely fastened tarp.

Casting an eyebrow toward his friend, Sully asked, "Why all the extra pillows?"

Cloud Dancing hefted two suitcases from the back, grinning at his brother as they each made their way to the door with their arms full. "I have learned the hard way not to argue with a pregnant wife. If she wants to bring extra pillows..."

"Say no more," Sully chuckled. "And tomorrow during dinner, you'll see that _my_ pregnant wife felt we needed five deserts, a large turkey, _and_ a ham. I did manage to talk her out of the chicken, though," he added with a good-natured smirk, juggling several bags while he unlocked the door.

"She's been eatin' like a starvin' woman. I think she's makin' up for the weight she lost while she was so sick," he explained as he shook his head with a dimpled grin.

"Mmm," Cloud Dancing returned with an understanding grin.

Holding the door open, Sully offered, "Let's just take 'em on up," as the other man nodded agreeably.

Several minutes later, the bags and parcels deposited in Matthew's old room, the two men stopped to rest a moment, thankful just to be back in each other's company. Sully proceeded to fill his brother in on the details of his night stranded away from his home and family, while enduring uncomfortable conditions and prickly companions.

"But after we shook hands across the aisle of that bus, I could see in his eyes that he was serious. He was as tired of the stupid feud as _I_ was – but if we hadn't of got stranded together all night..." Sully concluded, shaking his head in amazement.

"God does have a sense of humor, does He not?" Cloud Dancing remarked with a half grin.

"_He__ sure__ does_. And I'll tell ya, Cloud Dancin'...I'm ashamed that I never really prayed about it before...all these years...I just felt like..." Sully paused, shrugging, "...that's the way things were and nothin' would change it."

The Indian nodded silently, crossing his arms on his chest as he leaned against the door frame.

"But...Michaela...she's changed so many things about my life since I've known her..." he paused again, staring at nothing while images floated through his mind. "Just two Christmases ago, I was a lonely man with a daughter who very much needed a mom... migraines more often than I want to remember... with Preston Lodge and his aggravation breathin' down my neck about sellin' what was left of my family's land... and with two rock solid enemies that liked nothin' better than to try and make my life miserable."

Cloud Dancing nodded again with a wise grin, allowing his brother to pour out his thoughts and feelings – knowing he needed to voice them.

"Now...my heart is so full of love for my wife and ready-made family...my daughter now has the best mom in the world...my migraines are almost a thing of the past, thanks to Michaela knowin' about her friend's discovery...Preston Lodge is not only out of my life, but I now own _all_ of my ancestors' original lands...and the cherries on top – both of my former 'enemies' have totally reconciled with me..." he ended in pure amazement.

"Mmm, and speaking of that...AC sends his regards..." Cloud Dancing informed him with a twinkle in his dark eyes.

"Clawfoot? How's he doin'?" Sully asked with a grin.

"His new eye the doctor in Boston gave him looks so natural, you honestly cannot tell them apart. It has been a huge boost to his confidence and self-image," Cloud Dancing announced with pleased wonder.

"Wow, that's awesome, Cloud Dancin'," Sully returned emotively.

"He proposed marriage to Soft Rain, and she accepted...and last Sunday, the entire family came to services at the church," he added with a smile.

"Really? Wow!"

"It turned into a very emotional service...and by the end...everyone there knew that the entire Clawfoot clan will be a part of our church family from now on." Sully shook his head in pleased amazement.

"He said to tell you and your Mrs. congratulations on your upcoming blessing," the Indian added with a grin, both of them marveling over the change in their former nemesis.

"Tell him I said thanks – and congrats on his upcomin' marriage."

"I shall."

"Man oh man, the changes this year has produced," Sully grinned happily, clapping his best friend on the shoulder.

"Indeed," the wise Indian murmured thoughtfully, thinking of his own answers to prayer.

"Sully...we both need to step back and learn from this momentous year. We cannot know what is in the mind of God...why some answers to prayer take years and others happen quickly. All we can do is...do our best, hang on for the ride, and enjoy and be grateful when the prayers _are_ answered."

"Yeah. Amen to that," Sully responded. Then with vivid blue eyes meeting vivid black, he smiled contentedly, the presence of his brother filling in the one tiny missing 'piece' of his happiness.

"As Matthew said...it just ain't the same around here without ya..." he quipped, thinking about how much he had missed his brother in the three months since Cloud Dancing had returned to his home on the Northern Cheyenne reservation. "I'm real glad you guys are here."

With big grins and another man-hug, Sully pulled back and joked, "Now we better be gettin' that persimmon cake up to the house before you get scalped."

Cloud Dancing laughed out loud and clapped Sully affectionately on the shoulder. "Do not give the woman any ideas, my brother."

OOOOOOOOO

Later that evening, after partaking in a leisurely supper and lounging around together in the living room as the family spent time catching each other up on the happenings in their lives and the lives of their friends, Michaela and Sully retired to their room for the night.

Slipping into a gown and sitting down at her vanity, Michaela picked up her brush and began idly drawing it through the long tresses of her hair, her face pensive. Turning from tending the fire, Sully glanced at her as he pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it into his hamper.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he murmured, watching her as he leaned over to take off his shoes.

She glanced at him, and paused, then looked away, murmuring softly, "Not really."

Immediately concerned, Sully asked, "What's wrong...you feelin' bad again?" thinking the dreaded 'morning sickness' had returned.

Michaela smiled a tiny half smile and shook her head. "No...it isn't that."

His brow furrowed as he quickly searched his memory, trying to figure out what could be causing his wife's melancholy. _Did__ somebody __say__ something...did __**I**__ say__ something..._

She glanced at his face again, noting his concern. "I...have a confession to make," she admitted softly.

Sully grinned rakishly as he removed his jeans, padding slowly over to her and gently taking the brush from her hand. "A confession?" he murmured softly, smoothing her hair with his hand and beginning to pull the brush through it.

"Mmm hmm," she murmured, meeting his eyes in the mirror, her expression resembling a little girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Hmm...will I grab my tomahawk and go after some guy in a jealous rage...or will I need a paddle to spank _you_ with?" he teased with a cheeky grin.

"Neither," Michaela smiled softly, shaking her head slightly before gazing down at the journal lying on the vanity's surface. Picking it up, she laid it on her lap, her fingers absentmindedly caressing its leather cover as she tried to decide whether or not to tell him.

Sully chuckled and tilted his head back with an amused smile, eyebrows raised, waiting for her to meet his eyes again and spill the beans.

She took a breath, deciding to go for it, wanting there to be nothing unspoken between them.

"While you and Cloud Dancing were taking their luggage to the clinic...Brian was teasing Wolf and tossed him a treat, which skidded under the stove. Wolf dug it out...along with...your note," she explained haltingly, looking up then and searching his eyes in mirror's reflection.

"My note...about goin' to the junkyard?" he asked, drawing his brows together as he tried to understand why this would be part of a 'confession'.

"Yes..." she hedged, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.

Gazing into her eyes, his widened and his movements stopped as he realized what she was getting at. "You thought I _lied_ about leavin' you a note?"

"Well..." she began, feeling her cheeks pinken under his incredulous stare. "I had thought perhaps that you...I mean..." she stammered, now wishing she had not chosen to open this particular Pandora's box.

"That I _what_?" he prompted softly, truly having no clue the direction her thoughts had taken those hours he had been mysteriously missing.

"I..." she began again, swallowing dryly. "I had been so _testy_ that morning. As the night wore on and you didn't come home, I thought you might have... found somewhere to stay the night because you were miffed at me... the way _David_ used to..." she explained haltingly, ending with a slight, uncomfortable shrug.

Hearing her admission, his mouth dropped opened in surprise and his breath rushed out in an exasperated "Ahh!" As she dropped her eyes, he shook his head and immediately circled around her, kneeling down to her level. Keeping one arm around her, he quickly put down the brush and reached for her hand as he gazed deeply into her eyes.

"Michaela...I can't believe you _thought_ such a thing..." he whispered.

"I know..." she murmured, lowering her head. "I know it was silly of me...probably pregnancy hormones or something..." she offered with another small shrug, truly ashamed now in light of his fierce reaction.

Completely serious and striving to assure his wife of his devotion, thereby nipping in the bud anything like this happening in the future – especially in light of the fact that it was something her _ex_ used to do - Sully drew her hand to his lips, tilting his head forward just a bit so that his eyes stared into hers piercingly.

"Michaela...I swear on my honor and on my love for you – that I will always..._always_ return home to you," he vowed quietly, but with all the sincerity in his heart, his eyes shifting back and forth between hers as hers began to fill. "Unless somethin' beyond my control happens, like this thing at the junkyard," he continued, "...or I'm totally _unconscious_...or I'm hurt so bad they have to take me to the hospital – I'll ALWAYS return to you. Nothin' you could ever say or do will change that fact. Like I told ya before..._I__ will __love __you __all __my __days_...don't ya believe me?"

His admission so reminded her of his declaration the night he proposed – as well as what she had read in the old journal of _Sully__'__s_ declaration to _Michaela_, she felt suddenly overwhelmed with love for him, and she shuddered with emotion. _How __could __I __have __EVER __entertained __one __doubt __about __his __devotion?_

"Oh Sully," she whispered, one tear slipping down her cheek as she placed her hands lovingly onto his jaw and ears, leaning in for a soft kiss.

As she pulled back, he smiled contentedly up at her, murmuring, "Good answer."

Sitting back, she lost her grip on the journal and it slipped off her lap and onto the floor face down, its pages splayed wide.

"The journal!" Michaela gasped, afraid some of the fragile pages had been torn. Sully gasped as well, and scrambled to carefully retrieve the beloved volume. As he slowly and lovingly turned it over, a folded piece of paper slid out from between some pages in the back, and landed unceremoniously on the floor.

"What's this?" Michaela murmured as she picked up and carefully unfolded the thin sheet of paper. It wasn't something either had seen before, as they had yet to read the last entries.

"It looks like a song..._Thanksgiving__ Prayer,__ by __Kid __Cole_," she read_._"And it's been scored by hand..."

"There's some writin' on the back..." Sully observed softly.

Michaela turned it over, reading softly out loud,

_Ma, _

_It made me so sad today when Horace told me about the telegram saying that Kid Cole died. I still remember the short time he was sheriff and the songs he would play for us kids as he sat in front of the jail...and how fast he was with a gun, though he tried hard not to have to use it. I know how much you and Pa loved him and when I saw you crying this morning, I wanted to try and do something special to help you keep his memory alive. I remembered the song he sang that Thanksgiving he and Sister Ruth spent with us, and that I had written down the words, so I looked back in my journal for them, and charted the notes to it. _

_Maybe this way...he won't be forgotten. I think it would be a good tradition to sing it every year at Thanksgiving. _

_Love, your son..._

_Brian._

"Kid Cole...the gunslinger?" Sully murmured.

Michaela gazed into her husband's eyes as she wiped the moisture from hers, trying to remember entries they had read before.

"Yes..." she sniffled, "I remember she wrote that he could sing and play the guitar..." Turning the paper over again, she murmured, "There's no date on this...I don't remember reading in the journal yet about Kid Cole dying..."

Sully nodded, looking over her shoulder as he read the words of the song out loud.

"How lovely..." Michaela mused softly. "I would love to hear what this sounds like."

"Didn't you tell me you took music lessons?" Sully asked, eyebrows gently raised.

"Yes, but I haven't played in years...and we have no piano...and truly, I was never very good at playing a musical piece _a__ prima__ vista_..." At Sully's blank look, she amended, "Sight reading."

"The Reverend can sight read, I've seen him do it...maybe we can ask him tomorrow," Sully offered helpfully, and Michaela grinned excitedly, carefully folding the song and placing it safely back within the pages of the journal.

As she rose, intending on taking the journal to their bed for a time of reading, Sully gently laid his hand over hers. Glancing up at him questioningly, her lips immediately curled into a knowing half smile as she saw the familiar heated expression in his eyes.

"Hey," he murmured softly.

"Hmm?" she murmured back, flirting just a tad with her eyes.

"I'd like to request some 'holdin'," he replied softly, knowing she would 'get' the reference from something they had read in the journal once. "I been feelin' kinda neglected lately," he added, his sexy lips puckered into a pretend pout.

"Oh you _have_?" she returned in a low, sultry voice, playing his game. "Well, we can't have _that_ now, can we?"

Shaking his head with a slow grin, he murmured, "Mmm mm," as he calmly slipped the journal from her hands and placed it on the vanity top, never breaking eye contact. Taking her by the hand, he led her over to the bed and slid in first, pulling her in after him and turning off the lamp as they snuggled down together into the warm covers.

Sighing in pure joy, Michaela whispered, "I missed you so much the night you were gone...I hardly slept a wink...aching to feel your arms around me, like this."

"I know just what you mean," he whispered in return. "And believe me, I would've _much_ rather been _here_ with you than inside a cold bus with Harv growlin' at me on the inside and Delilah growlin' on the outside," he added with a chuckle.

Pulling back, Michaela gazed at her husband, his handsome face reflected in the flickering firelight.

"But we're here _now_..." she murmured, her eyes twinkling.

"Mmm hmm..." he agreed, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

"No time like the present..." she prompted softly, leaning in for another kiss and wishing her husband would take the hint and ravish her senseless.

"Been so long...I wonder if somethin'll still _fit_," he teased with a dimpled grin as he continued to place tiny kisses to her lips and cheeks.

"Oh, it will fit-_perfectly_," she returned between kisses. Then, in a bold move, she quickly maneuvered on top of him, entwining her fingers in his hair and devouring his open mouth with a kiss that took his breath away, his arms instinctively wrapping around her torso.

Delighted that the hidden tigress within his wife had emerged, Sully felt the familiar sparks of desire shoot through him at her taste and touch. The kiss went on and on until they were both nearly mindless with desire.

She moaned softly into his mouth as she felt his hands tugging at the hem of her gown. It was then he made the discovery that a certain article of her clothing was missing.

"Ready for action, huh?" he murmured with a sensuous grin as he moved to take the lead, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest and a twinkle in her eye, murmuring, "Tonight, Mr. Sully..._I__'__m_ in charge."

Chuckling rakishly at her comment, he helped her quickly relieve him of his remaining piece of clothing, watching her face closely as he saw her observe his very obvious state of 'readiness', before allowing her to gently push him to his back again.

His eyes flared with desire as she straddled his hips, her eyes twinkling passionately in the moonlight. As he lay there beneath her, primed and ready, he watched her slowly draw the gown over her head and toss it to the floor, her long, luxurious hair swirling around her shoulders and back as she gazed down at him with an expression of raw desire.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered reverently, gazing up at her, watching her head fall back in pure bliss as he gently began caressing her womanly curves, which he could tell were slightly fuller. Though she hadn't gained much with the baby yet, he could feel the difference, knowing her body as well as he did his own.

After a few moments, she gazed down at her gorgeous husband as his fingers lovingly brushed the small mound encasing their child.

"I love you..." he murmured softly, almost overcome with love for this special, beautiful, sensual woman who was his wife.

"I love you, too," she whispered as she ran her fingertips lightly though the soft curls on his chest, caressing the strong shoulders and arm muscles and admiring the tight muscles of his belly illuminated in the soft firelight. Meeting his eyes again, the heat of passion in _his_ stirred her to her very core.

Smiling softly as she gazed into his eyes, her mind drifted for a moment to how truly naïve she'd once been in the ways of love. Though she'd been married before, with David it had been a wifely duty at best. But Sully had changed all of that…he had taught her the incredible passion a woman can feel for her husband in ways David never had… And tonight she intended to show him she'd been a very apt pupil.

She took in a shuddery breath, and her eyes locked with his as his fingers slipped even lower, gently caressing...teasing...stirring delicious tingles within...

"Make love to me, Mé'oo'o," he rasped, gently taking hold of her arms and drawing her down to him again.

Unable to wait a moment longer, she descended, the curtain of her hair creating their own little private world as her mouth found and melded with his, and she reached down and joined their bodies as one. This time, _he_ gasped at the incredible sensations that shot through his body at the moment of their union.

This night, she wanted to give back to him a taste of the incredible ecstasy he always afforded her.

Making sure the sounds of their passion were muffled, the lovers more than made up for time apart – and proved once again how perfectly they 'fit' together.

OOOOOOOOO

"I'll get it," Sully offered as a knock sounded at the door the next afternoon. He crossed over and opened it to reveal Loren, Dorothy, and the Reverend on the homestead's threshold, wearing large, happy grins.

Smiling from ear to ear as he saw his friend, his surrogate 'dad', and 'aunt', Sully greeted, "Welcome! Come on in!" as he swept the door wide open. They entered and handed their meal offerings to Michaela, then took off their coats and wraps to hand to Sully.

"The rolls look delicious, Reverend," Michaela complimented as she peeked inside the covered bowl. "They look homemade..."

"They are. I made them," he affirmed with a touch of pride. At her surprised look, he explained, "Well...being a bachelor minister, I've had to learn the skills of a homemaker over the years...eating out all the time is quite expensive. A parishioner, the widow Peterson, taught me how to make rolls like this," he added with a grin.

"And you'll make some young woman a fine husband one of these days," Dorothy complimented as she passed him to proceed into the kitchen.

"Well, thank you, but I'm starting to think that day will never come," the minister replied, half-jokingly, as he self-consciously lifted a hand to smooth his short, neatly trimmed beard.

"Oh, don't give up, Reverend...ya just gotta wait for the right one ta come along," Sully chimed in, flashing a huge grin at his wife. "The good ones are worth the wait," he added as he swept her in for a quick kiss.

"I agree," Michaela murmured softly, her eyes sparkling as she returned the compliment.

"Hey Sully, that's a fine lookin' table there," Loren complemented as he gazed at the long, cloth covered table with eleven settings. "I was wonderin' where ya was gonna fit all of us...kinda thought some of us would end up eatin' on the porch!" he teased jokingly.

"Nah, just brought down the dinin' table from the clinic – worked out perfect," Sully answered, grinning as Michaela quipped, "Mmm hmm, after he argued with me that it wouldn't fit."

"Oh shush up," Sully teased softly, leaning over the parcels in her hands and gently brushing noses with her as she grinned up at him.

"You were right...it fit _perfect...__"_ he added with a rakish grin as each one recalled those words and their heated love making from the night before.

After gazing into each other's eyes for several moments, sending silent private messages, Michaela finally remembered they were standing in the presence of others and not alone in their room. She felt her face pinken as she heard him snicker under his breath. Knowing he loved to watch her get flustered, she cleared her throat, whispering, "Sully!"

Leaning up to graze his cheek with a soft kiss, she whispered, "Be good!" praying he wouldn't say what he usually said to that instruction, which was something like _I__'__m__ always__ good._ She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him clamp his mouth shut, choosing to forego that bit of risqué teasing. With a grin, she turned from him to head to the kitchen, squealing softly as he swatted her behind.

"Now, now, you two," Loren chided teasingly, thoroughly enjoying the loving antics of his surrogate son and daughter-in-law, and glad to see that the honeymoon was obviously not over for either of the two.

"Michaela, how is your family doin'? Your mother, and Rebecca and Robert and everybody?" Dorothy asked as the two ladies joined Snowbird and the girls in the kitchen, the older one giving hugs and greetings all around.

"They're fine," Michaela answered, moving to the stove to tend to a pot. "I spoke with them just this morning." Then laughing, she added, "Rebecca and Robert just got back from an extended vacation to California. Then when I talked to Mother, she was pulling her hair out, as the entire family was due to arrive in two hours and she wanted everything to be just so."

Dorothy nodded and chuckled, remembering quite well the "Boston Powerhouse" at Michaela and Sully's wedding, and her penchant for perfection.

OOOOOOOOO

"Reverend, would you do the honors, please?" Michaela requested thirty minutes later, holding her hands out to Brian on her right and Dorothy on her left, prompting the others to clasp hands for the prayer.

"I'd love to, Dr. Mike," the Reverend replied, smiling as he grasped hands with Sully on his left and Colleen on his right. "And may I suggest...that we go around the table and everyone say one thing that they are thankful for?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Reverend," Michaela beamed, gazing down the long table at her husband, who smiled and nodded.

The Reverend smiled at them all and bowed his head, eyes closed.

"Dear Lord, We thank You today for all of the gifts You have so freely bestowed upon us," he began. "Father, we thank you for Your protection, Your love, and Your help in time of need. We thank You for the food before us and ask that You bless the hands that prepared it. And now, I am thankful for good friends with which to share Thanksgiving," he added, gently squeezing Colleen's hand on his right.

"Thank You, Lord, for... helping us in the hailstorm..." the girl offered shyly, opening her eyes for a moment to glance at Sully, who opened his and winked at her with a grin.

"Thank You, God, for allowin' me to be part of this family," Loren offered, his voice catching a bit on the last word as he suddenly imagined his life without Sully, Michaela and the kids. He clamped his mouth tight to keep from embarrassing himself with a display of _emotion_.

"I thank You, Father God, for always watchin' out for me...through all these years," Dorothy murmured, thinking of the many unhappy years she had spent with her now deceased husband. Loren squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I thank You, Lord, for so many things...my wonderful husband and family...my home...my friends...and for always hearing our prayers," Michaela prayed quietly, thinking there were so many more things she could add, her heart felt so full of love and gratitude.

"Thank You, God, for givin' me a Daddy that's nice to me," Brian offered quietly. Michaela and Matthew both squeezed his hands as Sully, at the end of the table, smiled and caught his lip between his teeth at his son's words.

Matthew silently echoed his little brother's prayer, as he was very glad of that himself. "Um...thank You, Lord, for always keeping us safe and helping us out..." he murmured, a little out of his comfort zone, as he had never said a prayer out loud before.

"Thank You, God, for...watchin' over me and...my Mom...and all of us...durin' the storm," Hannah prayed quietly, the thrill of actually being able to say the words _my __Mom_ washing over her with pure joy yet again.

"Thank You, Dear Lord, for Your numerous bountiful blessings, especially this year, that of our baby on the way..." Snowbird murmured, smiling as she felt her husband gently squeeze her hand in agreement. The others at the table smiled and gently nodded bowed heads.

"I thank You, Father God, for my beloved wife, and my family here in Colorado Springs, and that we can all be together on this holiday..." Cloud Dancing offered, pressing his lips together and nodding, feeling Sully squeeze his hand in acknowledgement.

Then it was Sully's turn. He had listened as each of his family and friends had thanked God for something foremost on their minds, his heart feeling as if it would burst with happiness and contentment. Opening his eyes again, he looked down the table at his beautiful wife as she sat demurely, head bowed, long hair brushed behind her shoulders, and he fought back tears of gratitude for everything God had arranged in his life and all of the answered prayers since the previous Thanksgiving holiday.

Clearing his throat, he murmured, "Thank You, Jesus, for each and every blessin' You've given me...and for the new little joy we're anticipatin' in the near future – protect it and Michaela and keep 'em safe..." At his quiet words, Michaela smiled gently in silent agreement.

"For all these things we humbly thank You, Father God, in Jesus' Name. Amen," ended the Reverend, with everyone at the table echoing a heartfelt, "Amen!"

For several moments, everyone remained still, as no one wished to be the first to break the solemn mood until Loren looked around the table and grinned teasingly.

"Well, as my old man used to say..._Good __bread, __good __meat...good __gosh, __let__'__s __eat!__"_

Wolf barked loudly as if in agreement and the others laughed delightedly as they released one another's hands.

Michaela reached for a bowl of stuffing to begin passing around the food-laden table, instructing her guests, "Eat up, everyone, but remember to save room...there are five deserts waiting on the counters in the kitchen." Sully and Cloud Dancing exchanged amused, but silent grins at their private joke.

"My gosh, this is enough food to feed an army!" Loren joked as he passed a bowl to Dorothy with a grin.

Everyone laughed and agreed, beginning to load their plates and strike up conversation as Sully rose to carve the turkey and ham.

OOOOOOOOO

"And the dog's name was Delilah!" Brian reiterated, interrupting for the third time as Sully endeavored to retell his 'junkyard' story for the three at the table who had not yet heard it.

Everyone laughed heartily as Sully once again reenacted the dog's 'love affair' with his phone, at Brian's insistence.

"One thing I was thankful for that night, I'll tell ya – all those years of runnin' track," Sully quipped, shaking his head with a grin. "Man, we were jumpin' over every kinda hurdle you can imagine tryin' to get to that bus. And I'll give him this – for a big guy who ain't in very good shape, Harv was _bookin__'_."

"Thank God you made it. I shudder to think of the consequences if you hadn't," Michaela quietly infused, pressing a hand to her chest as if to protect her heart.

"And to think, God arranged all of that to engineer an ending to the feud between you and Harvey Miller..." Dorothy added, shaking her head in wonder.

"Yep," Sully nodded, his eyes meeting his wife's at the other end of the long table. "Never again will I underestimate the power of prayer," he murmured, Michaela answering with a soft smile of agreement.

"I propose a toast," Reverend Johnson suddenly announced, reaching for his water glass and holding it aloft as the others followed suit. "To God's sense of humor, and the power of answered prayer!"

"Here, here!" the others proclaimed, laughing as they clinked each other's glasses.

OOOOOOOOO

After dinner, as family and friends gathered in the living room idly talking in groups of two or three, Michaela finished putting away the leftovers and wiped her hands on a towel, walking to a desk in the corner of the room. Taking the folded sheet of paper from the journal, she tentatively approached the Reverend, who was still sitting at the table passing the time with Loren.

"Reverend Johnson...I see that you brought along your guitar as I asked..."

"Yes, I did..." he began, gazing up at her in idle curiosity.

"I have a favor to ask of you..." she began.

"Well all right. What is it, Dr. Mike?" he asked, flashing his beautiful white grin.

Carefully unfolding the more than one hundred-year-old paper, she handed it to him, explaining what it was and how they came to possess it.

[AN: If you would like to hear this beautiful song from the show again, go to Youtube and put **Johnny**** Cash**** -**** Thanksgiving**** Prayer** in the search bar. It will be the first one that comes up.]

"**Thanksgiving ****Prayer,**** by**** Kid ****Cole**..." the Reverend read, his eyes automatically scanning and correctly reading the notes and timing to the song.

"We were wondering...if you could play and sing this for us..." Michaela began as Sully came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. She smiled at him over her shoulder and he pressed a tiny kiss to her cheek as she continued, "So that we can know what it sounded like and try to relive a small piece of something special in our ancestors' lives..." she added, her hands unconsciously caressing her husband's muscled forearms.

"I'd be honored, Dr. Mike," Reverend Johnson responded, smiling as he reached for his guitar and sat fingering the notes and mouthing the words to familiarize himself with the song.

After a few minutes, he cleared his throat and looked up at her and Sully shyly, noting they were watching him in rapt attention.

"Now...I never claimed to be much of a singer...but I'll do my best," he prefaced humbly. They nodded, motioning for him to start. As he began strumming the strings of his guitar with the soothing melody, he cleared his throat once again, then began softly and tentatively singing the words, glancing often at the handwritten scoring of the old song.

_We've come to the time in the season...When family and friends gather near..._

_To offer a prayer of Thanksgivin'...For blessings we've known through the year... _

The girls, Matthew, and Brian had gathered near to listen, exchanging pleased grins with each other and with their parents at the words about family and friends gathered and blessings through the year.

_To__ join __hands __and __thank __the __Creator...Now __when__ Thanksgivin__' __is __due..._

_And __this __year __when__ I __count __my __blessin__'__s...I'm__ thankin__' __the __Lord __He __made __you..._

Glancing up from the paper to see that the others in the large room had stopped their conversations and drifted near, Reverend Johnson grinned shyly and continued,

_This year when I count my blessin's, I'm thankin' the Lord He made you _

Placing his fingers on the chords again, continuing to strum the beautiful song, he went to the second verse.

_I'm grateful for the laughter of children...The sun and the wind and the rain..._

_The color of blue in your sweet eyes...The sight of a high ballin' train..._

_The moonrise over a prairie... An old love that you've made new... _

By this time, Sully had lowered to his knees beside his love as she sat comfortably on a chair watching the Reverend sing the heart touching song. At the words about blue eyes, Michaela turned and smiled into her husband's precious ones, lifting a hand to caress his cheek; he smiled and pressed his lips to its palm. Then at the words _An__ old __love __that __you__'__ve __made __new_, they again looked into each other's eyes, tears beginning to shine within each pair as they thought how appropriate that line was for their own love.

The Reverend went on with the chorus again, his voice becoming more confident and strong as he sang and played.

_This year when I count my blessin's - I'm thankin' the Lord He made you _

_This year when I count my blessin's - I'm thankin' the Lord He made you _

As the soothing music continued, Snowbird wandered in from finishing up the dishes and drew near to her husband. He opened his arms and drew her to him, smiling down at her as they listened attentively.

The Reverend cleared his throat again and started into the third verse, concentrating on getting the words timed right with the melody.

_And when the time comes to be goin'...It won't be in sorrow and tears..._

_I'll kiss you goodbye and I'll go on my way...Grateful for all of the years..._

_I'll thank you for all that you gave me...For teachin' me what love can do_

This verse especially touched Michaela and Sully, as well as Cloud Dancing and Snowbird, as each couple cuddled together, their foreheads touching softly as the beautiful song caressed their ears and hearts.

But the two couples weren't the only ones the lyrics touched...

Something in those lines sparked emotion deep within Loren's heart and he turned his head to gaze across the room at Dorothy. She was still as beautiful to him as she always had been...but he had long ago put away his feelings for her when she had eloped and he had married her sister, quite truthfully, on the rebound.

She caught the movement and their eyes met just as Reverend Johnson sang _teachin__' __me __what __love __can__ do_, and her breath caught at the intense emotion in her brother-in-law's eyes. She hadn't seen that look in his eyes in many years and her mind quickly flashed back to their youth, remembering the day he had declared his love for her... and she knew at that instant it had never totally left his heart.

Looking at him now, he seemed somehow different than just 'Loren', her brother-in-law. She noticed the gray at his temples, the smile lines etched in his face, and the glow of love shining from his eyes...but she could see within that face, the face of the young man he used to be. The face of the young man she had rebuffed – and lived to regret the decision.

She swallowed and quickly looked away, a hand rising to flutter nervously at the collar of her blouse, turning her attention back to the Reverend as he finished out the song in heartfelt vigor.

_Thanksgivin' day for the rest of my life - I'm thankin' the Lord He made you _

_Thanksgivin' day for the rest of my life - I'm thankin' the Lord He made you_

With a last few strums of the guitar's strings, he looked around at his audience, grinning his beautiful smile as his warm brown eyes sparkled in pleased accomplishment and a stirring of emotion, the lyrics of the song having affected him, also.

"Sing it again, Reverend Johnson! That was great!" Brian gushed as everyone clapped in appreciation.

"Aw, well..." he hedged humbly, "I will if you all will sing along with me on the choruses..."

Everyone agreed and he grinned in satisfaction and ran a hand back through his hair before positioning his guitar in his arms and starting the song again. Everyone chimed in with impromptu harmony on each round of the chorus as they stood around the table.

As the last strum of the guitar faded, the group holding out the last note as long as they could, they finished and turned to each other as one, hugging and wiping tears.

And as their friends and family eventually wandered back to their conversations, Michaela turned to snuggle into Sully's arms, positive that Kid Cole himself would have been pleased that his song had so completely stirred the hearts of another generation.


	9. In The Blink of An Eye

**CHAPTER 9 – In The Blink of An Eye **

"Ow!" Brian cried, sniffling and trying to avoid Michaela's examination of his loose tooth. Matthew looked over from placing his breakfast plate in the sink and grinned his half smile, exchanging glances with Colleen as they both remembered going through the same thing themselves. She grinned back, catching her bottom lip between her teeth as she turned to grab another dish off the table.

"Hold still, sweetheart," Michaela crooned, her eyes flashing an SOS at her husband. Sully immediately came to her assistance, sitting down in a kitchen chair and pulling Brian up on his lap.

"It's okay, Brian, Mom just wants to look at it," he murmured, allowing the little boy to snuggle back against his chest. He lovingly caressed Brian's blond hair as he met Michaela's eyes.

"Don't touch it!" Brian whimpered, reaching a hand up to swipe at an errant tear.

Michaela clamped her teeth together. It was always so much harder for her to 'doctor' her children or husband than it was her patients, as she felt her loved ones' pain almost as if it were her own. "I won't touch it, Brian, just let me see, alright?" she murmured softly, smiling into her son's eyes reassuringly.

Brian sniffed again and opened his mouth wider for his mother to see his loosened front tooth; his father's reassuring touch calming him somewhat.

After a few moments, Michaela smiled again. "Yes...the new tooth is already trying to come down." Seeing the fear in Brian's eyes, she tried softly, "It's been bothering you for two days, sweetheart. I'm afraid this one needs to come out..."

"NO!" Brian cried, trying to twist out of Sully's grip.

"Hey, hey...ssshhh," Sully whispered. "It's okay, Brian..."

"Sweetheart, we have to..." Michaela began.

"NO! Just...just let it come out by itself," Brian begged, tears beginning to flow.

Michaela's eyes met her husband's again, silently pleading for help.

"Brian," Sully began, gently maneuvering the little boy on his lap until he could see his face.

"You know about the tooth fairy, don't ya?" he asked his son, striving to delve back in his mind to when he was Brian's age and lost his baby teeth.

"N..no," Brian whimpered, glancing back and forth between his parents, half afraid one of them would grab him and yank the tooth out.

"Well, the tooth fairy comes in the night and leaves money for every tooth she finds," Sully explained seriously, gazing into Brian's eyes. "See, you leave the tooth under your pillow and the next mornin', you'll find some money under there."

Brian blinked, searching his father's blue eyes to try and discern if he was teasing. For some reason, this tooth fairy business had never been explained to him, and he had been to young to comprehend when the illusive creature had visited his siblings. _A__ fairy...that __gives __money...for__ a __tooth?_

"How _much_ money?" he asked softly.

Sully clamped his teeth together to keep from smiling at the 'serious' question. "Wellllll...when I was a boy, I got a quarter...but with inflation, I think she's leavin' a dollar now," he explained, glancing up at Michaela for her opinion.

She chimed right in with, "Yes, I've heard that, too."

Brian swallowed nervously, his tongue finding it's way up to the object of discussion as he thought about the prospect of buying a dollar's worth of candy at Grandpa Loren's store.

"You wanna know how my dad always helped me and my brother get 'em out when I was your age?" Sully asked softly, trying to allow Brian to decide on his own to go ahead with the dreaded procedure.

Brian nodded, his blue eyes huge as he gazed into Sully's, unable to imagine what his father would say.

"Well, he would tie a string around it and tie the other end to..."

"Hey Dad!" Hannah interrupted as the other children gathered around their brother. "Remember what you did last time _I_ lost a tooth?"

Before Sully could respond, she crouched down next to her little brother and looked up into his tear-stained face. "He tied the string to Wolf's collar and when I was ready, I threw a stick for Wolf to fetch. The tooth just popped out, and I didn't feel a thing!" the girl explained happily. "The only thing was, we almost didn't find my tooth to put it under my pillow!" she added with a laugh.

"Mom used string on mine, too, only we were still in Boston then, so no _Wolf_," Colleen added with a grin.

"You won't hardly feel a thing, little brother, really," Matthew encouraged, reaching out and ruffling Brian's hair.

Brian swallowed again, shifting his gaze from Hannah to Sully to Michaela and then to Matthew and Colleen, trying to gauge the truthfulness of their statements.

Seeing a lessening in his son's nervousness, Sully hugged him close again, murmuring, "So...whatdya say, son...you wanna throw that stick for Wolf?"

The boy's love of candy and his belief in his family's veracity won out, so he swallowed again, slowly nodding his acquiescence.

With a proud and relieved grin, Sully pressed a kiss to the back of Brian's head and placed him on the floor, heading quickly to a cabinet and locating a ball of string.

"Wolf, c'mere boy," he called, as he knelt down next to Brian. Once again nervous, Brian shrank back a little, but Sully spoke softly to him, encouraging and instructing as he gently tied the end firmly around the boy's loose front tooth, Michaela hovering close by to offer support and comfort.

Sully tied the other end of the string to Wolf's collar, indicating for everyone to move to the back door. Opening it and holding the dog, he asked Matthew to grab a small stick from the wood box.

Handing it to Brian, he soothed, "Okay now, son. You take a deep breath and when you're ready, you throw the stick straight out there for Wolf. Be sure to have your mouth open."

The family gathered outside the door as Brian nodded and took the stick, glancing around at the intent faces watching his every move. Then, just as his father had instructed, he took a deep breath and threw the stick, shutting his eyes tight as he yelled, "Woof, fesh!" In the blink of an eye, the dog lunged after the stick, and true to everyone's word, the tooth flew easily out of Brian's mouth.

A collective cheer arose when they saw the results, a round pink hole in Brian's smile with just a hint of a new white tooth in the gum.

"Good job, Brian!" Sully laughed, scooping his little boy up as the others congratulated him on his bravery.

"It didn't hurt one bit!" he admitted happily. Then, remembering the dollar, he squirmed to get down out of Sully's arms, shouting, "My toof! Wolf come 'ere!" as he ran after the animal, his fear of only moments before totally forgotten.

The girls laughed and ran after their little brother as Sully straightened up, opening his arms as Michaela drifted into them in relief.

"Crisis averted," she murmured, snuggling her face into the warmth of his neck.

"Yep. Wolf to the rescue once again," he returned, wrapping his arms around her and slowly swaying side to side as he watched the children laughingly trying to corral a suddenly playful Wolf, who had decided to play chase with the stick. They moved aside with a chuckle as the dog dashed back inside the house with a pack of giggling children in hot pursuit.

"No. My wonderful husband to the rescue," Michaela corrected lovingly, pressing kisses to his neck and jaw line. "You're such a wonderful father. You never cease to amaze me. You're perfect," she added teasingly.

Sully grinned in pride of his wife's compliment, his dimples pronounced. "Nah, I'd say it was Hannah to the rescue. I'd forgotten about usin' Wolf – I was gonna say tie it to the front door knob," he admitted softly as they both chuckled.

Just then, Cloud Dancing and Snowbird walked up to the back door to join their friends. Wolf, deciding to escape the confines of the house and his pursuers once again, made a beeline for the door.

"Cloud Dancin'! Stop him! He's got my toof!" Brian yelled to his Cheyenne father.

Quick as lightning, the Indian reached down and caught the fleeing dog around the neck, stopping him in his tracks.

"Whoa, Hó'nehe [wolf]," he crooned softly to the animal, who was panting around the stick protruding from each side of his mouth. Glancing at Brian as he arrived at his side, Cloud Dancing asked with a puzzled grin, "He has your _tooth_?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna get a whole dollar from da Toof Fairy!" the little boy explained, the missing tooth only slightly impeding his speech. He grinned largely at his Cheyenne father and mother as proof. "See?"

"Ahh, I see," Cloud Dancing answered seriously, reaching for the string tied to Wolf's collar as the girls drew near. To their dismay, no tooth remained in the knot on the end.

"My toof!" Brian whined.

"Found it!" Matthew called, spying it lying on the concrete walk not three feet from where Brian had been standing. He bent to retrieve it, rising with the prize in his hand.

"Thank goodness!" Michaela sighed. Turning from Sully's arms, she took in a calming breath, having envisioned all of them searching in vain for hours for the tiny white object.

"Come, Brian," she called. "Let's go now and put it under your pillow so that it doesn't get lost, hmm?" Flashing a grin at her husband and friends, she shepherded her excited little boy up the stairs to the room he shared with his brother as he grilled her about the illusive creature who would visit that night.

The two men exchanged glances and chuckles.

Shaking his head with a grin, Sully asked, "Ready to do a little work?"

"That I am, my brother," the Indian returned with a grin as Sully and Matthew stepped inside to don their jackets in preparation for working outside on the new room in the early morning chill.

"Michaela and I are going over to Loren's for a few things," Snowbird informed the men as her husband leaned to give her a parting kiss.

"Have fun," Cloud Dancing murmured with a grin, as she returned playfully, "You, also."

"Tell Michaela I said to come around to the room and give me a kiss before she goes, alright?" Sully requested with a grin as he leaned to kiss his sister-in-law on the cheek.

"That I will," she assured him with a twinkle. "Though knowing the two of you, I dare say I won't have to tell her."

"What can I say? We're in love," Sully returned with a grin.

OOOOOOOOO

"I'm so glad you are staying these two weeks with us," Michaela told her best friend as she negotiated the turn out of the homestead's driveway on their first opportunity to be alone and talk in the two days since the Indian couple had arrived. "Sully has been missing Cloud Dancing so much. He doesn't say it in so many words...but I can tell."

"It is the same for Cloud Dancing," the Indian woman confided. "And it is always that way. He is all right for several weeks after he comes home at the end of the summer, and then slowly begins to miss his brother again. They should be glad we are such understanding wives...most women would be jealous," she added jokingly.

Michaela agreed with a laugh. Then glancing sideways and observing her friend idly caressing her still small belly with one hand as she gazed out the window, she asked, "Week fourteen now...how have you been feeling? Any more nausea?"

"No, thankfully that phase was brief for me," Snowbird replied with a grateful smile, turning to look at her friend as she drove.

"How are _you_ feeling? The morning sickness is over for you, yes?" she asked with concern.

"Yes, thank God. I was so relieved the first day that went by without any," Michaela intoned with much feeling. "Now, however, I seem to be hungry all the time," she added with a wry grin. "Sully assures me he will still love me, even if I get as big as the barn. Although he did tell me he would buy me a cow suit and make me sleep out there."

"He did _not_!" Snowbird exclaimed, shocked.

"He _did_," Michaela assured, but relented with a giggle, "But of course, he was just teasing."

Both women laughed comfortably together as the conversation went on the few minutes it took to drive to Loren's neighborhood grocery store.

Exiting the vehicle, Michaela confided, "I want to get some things for Sully's birthday supper next week," as Snowbird nodded.

Holding the door to the store open for her friend, she explained, "Last year, we went to Grace's since he was so busy building the new bathroom...but this year, I wanted to do something for him _myself_...you know?"

"Yes, I do. You want to bestow upon him a labor of love. I know how that is – and Sully will appreciate your efforts, and find ways to show you!" she added with a sly chuckle, which Michaela echoed.

Just inside, the ladies glanced over at the proprietor who was crouched down dusting some of the lower shelves.

"Good morning, Loren, how _are_ you today?" Michaela called, flashing him her dazzling smile as she unconsciously flipped her long hair behind one shoulder.

"Mornin' Dr. Mike, Snowbird," he answered, grunting as he climbed to his feet.

"Is your arthritis worse this morning, Loren?" the doctor astutely inquired, walking over to the obviously pained man.

"Awww, I hate gettin' old, Dr. Mike," the shopkeeper grumbled. "My knees don't wanna work like they used to."

"I thought the new medicine your doctor prescribed was helping..." she began caringly, reaching out to lightly touch his arm.

"Yeah, well...I ran out...ain't had the money to get more yet, 'cause Medicare don't wanna pay for it," he admitted, embarrassed.

Sympathetically caressing his arm, Michaela murmured, "I have some connections, Loren...I'll order a supply for my clinic at manufacturer's cost. It was Feldene, wasn't it?"

"Aww, Dr. Mike...you don't have to go and do that..." he groused softly, shaking his head.

"Nonsense, Loren," Michaela shushed him, adding with a half grin, raising her eyebrows questioningly. "I can't let my children's grandfather be in pain if I could easily do something about it... can I?"

Loren started to object halfheartedly, but Michaela stopped him with a finger to his lips.

"The shipment should arrive sometime Monday morning. I'll let you know."

Sheepishly, Loren grinned and leaned in to give Michaela peck on the cheek. "Why you so good ta me? I'm just a grouchy ol' codger."

"Maybe I happen to like grouchy old codgers," she returned with a grin, leaning in to plant a kiss to his cheek. "Now, you take it easy today, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am," the old man muttered in a teasingly sarcastic tone.

With a chuckle, the two friends went about their shopping as the old man watched them fondly. Picking up and discussing items along the first aisle, they glanced up as the bell over the door jingled. Michaela smiled as Ellen Miller made her way inside.

"Dr. Mike... Mrs. Cloud Dancing," the woman greeted with a friendly smile.

"Good to see you, Mrs. Miller," Snowbird replied warmly.

"Ellen, how nice to see you," Michaela responded, noticing the marked difference in the woman's countenance and appearance. She seemed happy and totally stress free, and her clothing seemed new – she was even wearing makeup.

"How have you been?" Michaela added with interest.

"Oh Dr. Mike...I feel like I'm living in a dream, and I don't want to wake up!" the smaller woman gushed, her smile huge, her eyes twinkling with life, which was vastly different than the last time Michaela had spoken to her.

"That's wonderful!" Michaela responded with a look that invited more.

"Dr. Mike..." she began.

"Please...call me Michaela," Michaela gently interrupted.

"Alright...Michaela...well, I'm sure you are aware of some of the details between...my husband and yours..." she began.

"Yes..." Michaela murmured softly.

"Well, ever since Harv spent the night locked in the junk yard with Sully...he's been a different man!" she gushed, unable to hold her joy inside.

"That's wonderful!" Michaela responded again, exchanging a grin with Snowbird who nodded her agreement. "Sully told me of their conversation...and that it resulted in an end to the feud..."

Ellen nodded with a grin. "Harv came home that next morning and picked me up, kissed me, told me he loved me – and did the same with the kids...and then he sat us all down and apologized for all of the hurt he had caused us over the years. I was so stunned..." she added, tears of joy and amazement filling the corners of her eyes. "The girls cried, I cried...even Jared and Harv had tears in their eyes. He promised that from then on everything would be different...he even gave me money to buy myself some new clothes."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Ellen," Michaela responded emotively, silently thanking God for such a thorough answer to prayer as Loren came near.

"I can attest to how different he is...he's stopped in twice to pick up things his missus needed, smilin' and laughin' – I ain't ever seen him act that way," the store keeper recounted, glad to be in on such a marvelous transformation – and knowing the story behind it.

"Every day since then," the woman explained, "He's helped with chores around the house, played with the girls, spent time with Jared...and he treats me even better than he did when we were dating."

"That is fantastic, Mrs. Miller. I am so happy for you and your family," Snowbird offered with a smile.

Ellen smiled in return, and replied, "Thank you." Then looking into Michaela's eyes, she confided softly, "I...I've seen the way Sully is with you...gentle...loving...romantic...and now Harv is treating _me_ the same way...it's truly a dream come true," she added as her eyes began to fill with grateful tears.

"I couldn't be happier for you, Ellen," Michaela answered with an understanding smile, reaching out and taking hold of the other woman's hands in shared joy.

"Michaela...will you tell Sully for me...that I will forever appreciate what he did in the bus that night? I know it couldn't have been easy...I've seen the abuse Harv heaped on him over the years, and Sully had every right to hold a grudge...but he _didn__'__t_. And he even made the first move...Harv told me everything. I...I just want you both to know how grateful me and the children are," she added softly.

"You deserve to be commended, Ellen, for waiting and staying faithful all these years...you must love Harv very much," Michaela responded gently. Ellen nodded shyly as Michaela pulled her into her arms for a warm hug, smiling over her shoulder at Snowbird. "And yes, I'll tell Sully. He'll be thrilled," she whispered, deeply touched.

Pulling back from each other, each wiped at stray tears. Ellen smiled once again at the two women, then bidding them goodbye, she made her way to the other side of the store to commence her shopping.

Turning to each other, Michaela and Snowbird grinned into each other's eyes.

"Praise God!" Michaela whispered.

"Yes, amen!" Snowbird agreed softly, each totally amazed at the miracle they had just witnessed.

OOOOOOOOO

Sully, Cloud Dancing, and Matthew stood surveying the fruits of the previous day's labor in which the three males, with some help from Robert E. and Jake, had completely finished the floor, roof trusses, and the framing for the two exterior walls of the new bedroom addition.

"It's comin' together," Sully observed, his eyes twinkling in the sunshine as he pictured what steps to take next to secure the house for winter and be able to work on the room from inside. "It makes a big difference to have some help," he added teasingly, flashing a grin at his oldest son.

"Yeah, and this nail gun Robert E. talked you into rentin' was a big help, too," the young man commented, depositing the tool across a makeshift workbench made of two saw horses and a half sheet of plywood.

"You got that right," Sully agreed with a grin. "Son, go ahead and get it set up for the day, but remember, the guard was sticking open yesterday, so _be__ careful,_" he added over his shoulder as he glanced at Cloud Dancing and gestured toward the overhanging edge of the shed-style roof of the bathroom addition he had built the previous year, beginning to discuss their next course of action.

"Okay, Dad," Matthew responded as he set about the task.

The two men stood for a moment discussing how much of the recently built soffit to tear out in order to tie in the new room's roof, as Matthew fired up the compressor and attached the hose to the powerful automatic nailer, laying it carefully across the workbench.

A few minutes later, Sully and Cloud Dancing were on top of eight-foot ladders, working to pry loose some of the edge of the bathroom's roof. "Watch out for the nails on the edge here, son," Sully cautioned as they handed it down to Matthew standing ready on the floor at the base of the ladders. Suddenly, a commotion caused all three to glance over to the side of the house.

Wolf appeared, barking playfully, chased by a giggling Brian. "Woof! Come back here! I wanna take that string off your collar!" he called to the lively dog.

Wolf quickly slipped through the open stud walls of the room, zipping and darting around the boxes of supplies, nails, tools, cut-off pieces of two-by-fours, and other objects, finally dashing under the workbench and on out of the room as Brian gave chase.

"Brian! Keep Wolf outta the work area, son!" Sully had just instructed, as the little boy paused by the interesting looking 'gun' lying on the bench. Reaching for it, he playfully yelled, "Come back here, you bad dog!" intending to aim the 'gun' at the family's pet and pretend to shoot at him, not knowing it was 'loaded' at all, much less with deadly framing nails.

Several things happened simultaneously. The men on the ladders, horrified at what was about to occur, both yelled, "NO BRIAN!" and made to jump down...Matthew dropped the piece of soffit he was holding and spun around, lunging for his little brother, yelling, "BRIAN! PUT THAT DOWN!" Causing Brian to turn with a startled squawk, the heavy nail gun in his hands, as his finger unconsciously squeezed the trigger.

The little boy fell back from the recoil and dropped the heavy tool, as a scream of pain echoed through the hills surrounding the homestead.

OOOOOOOOO

"The Reverend sure did a good job on that Thanksgivin' song at your place the other night, didn't he?" Loren asked the ladies as he rang up their purchases. "I never heard it before, but I sure liked it."

"Yes, he was wonderful," Michaela agreed with a pleased smile, remembering the happy evening spent with friends and family. "That song was actually written by a man called Kid Cole, an ex-gunfighter turned law man whom the original Sully and Michaela knew and loved," she added with a mischievous twinkle.

"That a fact?" he asked, thoroughly intrigued.

"Mmm hmm. Michaela wrote a lot about him. He must have been an amazing man. As a gift, her musically talented son scored the song for her to keep and remember Mr. Cole by. We found it in the back of the journal."

"Wow, that old journal has really turned out to be a gem, hasn't it..." he commented, shaking his head in amazement as he recalled some of the incredible coincidences revealed within its pages.

"Yes, it has," she answered happily, Snowbird nodding in agreement as she recalled tidbits about Cloud Dancing's ancestors. Just then, Snowbird's cell phone began to ring and she retrieved it from her purse, noting from the screen it was her husband.

"Hello, my handsome hus..." she began, stopping as he interrupted. Glancing at Michaela, she stepped away a few paces and listened intently.

"Yes, of course. I will tell her," she answered quietly, disconnecting and turning toward her friends.

"We need to go, Michaela. Cloud Dancing said someone is in need of your services at the clinic."

Immediately concerned, Michaela turned to search her friend's eyes, simultaneously searching her inner radar as she tried to discern if Sully or one of the children were hurt, only then realizing she had been pushing away a feeling of dread and fear for the past few minutes.

"Did he say who is injured?"

"No, he didn't," the other woman returned, shaking her head as she thought about the underlying emotion in her husband's voice. "Just that you need to come quickly."

Instantly in 'doctor' mode, but worrying that _Sully_ hadn't been the one to call, Michaela thanked Loren and grabbed her purchases, heading for the door with her Indian friend right behind her.

Frightened that one of the children may be hurt, Loren yelled out, "Let me know who it is!" as the ladies disappeared out the door with a quick nod.

Michaela, adrenaline pumping through her veins, ran to the Escalade and started the motor as Snowbird climbed in beside her, both women wondering if they would see an injured loved one on the examination table when they arrived.

Making it to the clinic in less than a minute, they each gasped when they spotted Sully's blue pickup parked next to porch, the tailgate down and bloodied rags in the back, knowing that meant a family member had indeed been injured and transported down the driveway.

OOOOOOOOO

"Ah, ah, ahaahhhh," Matthew winced and groaned as Sully and Cloud Dancing helped him up onto the examination table.

"I'm sorry, son. I know you're in pain. Mom'll be here any minute...she'll take care of ya," Sully soothed, trying to encourage his son and not let him see just how worried he actually was as he flashed a concerned glance at Cloud Dancing. Matthew closed his eyes and groaned again in pain.

"I don't know what hurts more...my leg...or my foot," he murmured through clenched teeth, reaching toward his bloodied calf.

"It is bleeding steadily..." Cloud Dancing quietly observed. "Perhaps we should try to staunch the flow of blood...?"

"I don't know... I'm afraid ta press on it...we could do more damage..." Sully answered softly, wishing with all his might for Michaela to get there.

"Ahh it hurts!..._do_ somethin'!" the young man gasped, frantically reaching toward his leg, only to be stopped by his worried father.

"Don't Matthew! We gotta wait for Michaela."

Matthew groaned again, as Sully looked around anxiously for a way to help his son. "C'mon, Michaela..." he whispered under his breath.

Glancing at his brother, he asked, "You called 'em, right? She understood to come right home?"

"I told Snowbird that it was urgent..." Cloud Dancing reiterated with a nod. Pausing when he heard a vehicle pull up out front, he crossed to the door and opened it to see two very concerned women climbing the porch steps.

"What happened?" Michaela asked as she reached the doorway, "Oh my God," she gasped as she saw her son's leg propped on the table, bleeding profusely from what appeared to be three large nails embedded within. "How in the _world_...?"

"Accident with the nail gun we rented..." Sully began, moving out of her way as she hurried in to assess the damage.

Gently touching around the punctured area, Michaela asked automatically, "Are there any other injuries?"

"Yeah...he stepped on a nail, too," Sully responded, picturing the piece of soffit. "Went right through his shoe and into his foot about a half inch...we pulled that one out," Sully explained, watching his wife at work, as he hovered worriedly by his son's side.

Nodding and glancing toward Matthew's foot, she murmured, "Cloud Dancing, would you remove his shoe, please?"

The stoic Indian nodded and proceeded to do so, as Matthew cringed and ground his teeth together, trying to avoid crying out. Michaela stepped to her rolling tray and reached for a pair of scissors, handing them to her husband.

"Cut the material of his jeans away below the knee," she instructed as she prepared her instruments and supplies. Sully quickly performed the task, trying diligently to avoid even touching the protruding nail heads.

Turning back to the table, Michaela glanced quickly at Matthew's face, trying to assess his level of pain in order to administer the correct amount of pain medication, as Snowbird drew near to her husband's side.

Taking the scissors from Sully as he finished, Michaela carefully cut the fabric away from the embedded nails to enable easier visibility.

"How long are the nails?" she asked her husband, glancing at him quickly as she worked.

"Three inches," he replied softly, standing on the other side of the table, his hands gently gripping Matthew's shoulders in support. "Framin' nails," he added for clarity, cringing as his son moaned in pain when she touched the area. _Why didn't I secure the work site better? Why didn't I anticipate this happenin'? I should have made sure Brian understood to stay out of the work area..._ Sully berated himself silently.

"How did this _happen_?" she asked incredulously as she got her first good look at the injury. Three nails were embedded in the calf of Matthew's left leg, two of which appeared to be through the muscle, and protruding out the side a fraction of an inch, causing the continuous flow of blood. The other seemed stuck fast, nearer the center of his leg, causing Michaela to suspect and fear it had penetrated the bone. If that were the case, it would require surgery.

"Brian and Wolf ran into the work site...Brian...saw the gun and picked it up...not knowin' how dangerous..." Sully explained haltingly as the horrific scenes played in his mind, and he felt himself once again moving, as if through molasses, as he tried to prevent the inevitable.

Michaela's eyes flashed to his. "_Brian_ did this?" she whispered, horrified. "Oh Sully...he must be absolutely _traumatized_..."

Swallowing dryly, Sully pressed his lips together and nodded, whispering, "I should probably go talk to 'im...but..." he added, looking pointedly into Matthew's eyes, Sully's conveying his wish to stay and help. The young man bravely nodded, releasing his father to go and tend to his brother.

Taking a step toward the door, he hesitated, looking back at Michaela. "Unless...you need my help..."

Before she could answer, the children's Cheyenne parents both stepped closer, as Cloud Dancing wisely assured, "Go on, Sully. Snowbird and I will help here...Brian needs you..."

With another nod and patting Matthew's shoulder reassuringly, Sully turned and sprinted toward the back door to go find and comfort his youngest son.

Michaela watched him go for a second, and then turned back to the task at hand as Cloud Dancing asked, "How may we help you, Dr. Mike?"

Before tackling the worst injury, Michaela shifted down to take a quick look at her son's foot, relieved to see its injury appeared to be minor.

"We'll treat the foot last. First, I need to find out if this one nail has penetrated the bone or not. Cloud Dancing, would you help set up the portable x-ray, please?" she asked as she set about administering anesthetics and pain medication, while striving to maintain professionalism and not think about the fact that it was her beloved son on the table in excruciating pain.

OOOOOOOOO

Sully entered the homestead's front door and glanced around for his three youngest. Not seeing them anywhere, he called, "Kids! Where are ya?"

"Up here, Dad!" called Hannah's voice from somewhere upstairs.

Taking the steps two at a time, Sully glanced first in the girls' room, then into the boys', finding Hannah, Colleen and Brian sitting on the floor against the back wall, the girls flanking and trying to comfort their little brother. Brian's face was red, puffy, tear stained, and guilt ridden, the girls' worried, as they gazed up at their father.

"Is Matthew alright?" Colleen asked softly.

"Your Mom's workin' on him right now," he answered quietly, his eyes trained on his little boy.

Meeting his father's eyes, Brian's filled with guilty tears again. "Daddy...I'm so sorry," he squeaked.

Sully crossed the room in three strides and reached down, lifting Brian totally off the floor and into his arms. The little boy immediately wrapped his arms around Sully's neck and buried his face against the collar of his jacket, miserable tears gushing forth.

"Ssshh. Hush, now, son. It's gonna be alright," Sully whispered as he rocked his youngest gently back and forth. Easing down onto the bed, he set Brian on his lap and continued to rock him, caressing his hair as the boy wept. Sully offered his daughters a tiny smile of encouragement as he glanced into each of their tear-filled eyes. The girls leaned close to each other and clasped hands as they watched their father comfort their stricken brother, the horror of the incident having shaken their normally peaceful world.

After several minutes, sniffling with a shudder, Brian leaned back a little and swiped at his eyes with the back of one hand as he gazed into his father's concerned blue eyes.

"I was just pretendin'...I didn't mean ta do it...I didn't know...it would _do_ that..." he began as Sully gently squeezed him closer and nodded understandingly.

"I know ya didn't, son," Sully assured quietly. "And Matthew's gonna be just fine."

"Is he mad at me?" Brian queried plaintively.

Sully smiled gently and shook his head, smoothing Brian's damp blond hair back from his face. "No, son. He ain't mad at ya."

"Are...are _you_ mad at me?" the frightened little boy asked, biting his lip in crushing remorse, visions of David's anger trying to rise to the surface of his mind.

At Sully's look, Brian added, "I wasn't supposed ta go in where you were workin'. I forgot...I disobeyed."

Sully pressed his lips together and nodded as the girls glanced uncertainly at each other.

"Yes, you did, didn't ya," he agreed.

Sniffling and wiping his eyes and nose, Brian whispered, "I know I should be punished...what I did was really, really bad." In truth, the little boy couldn't imagine a punishment harsh enough to make up for what he had done, the guilt weighing impossibly heavy on his young heart.

"Mmm hmm...but we'll talk about that after we see how Matthew is, alright?" His father returned softly.

Brian nodded, dreading that moment, though knowing nothing they could do could make him feel worse than he already did for being directly responsible for injuring his beloved brother.

"Right now, I've gotta get back down to the clinic and see if Mom needs a hand," Sully added. "You guys stay in the house and don't go NEAR the work site. We'll let ya know when we're done...okay?"

"Yes, Dad," Hannah murmured for all three as she watched her father hug her brother to his chest again and press his lips to Brian's hair, eyes shut tight. Then, lifting the boy off his lap and onto the bed, Sully rose and made his way to the door, glancing back to give his three youngest a reassuring smile and nod, before disappearing down the hall.

The girls met each other's eyes, in truth wondering how their parents _would_ punish their little brother for this. Rising to sit with Brian again and try to be of some comfort, they couldn't help but worry about their older brother, as images of his bloodied jeans and the sounds of his screams remained foremost in their minds.

OOOOOOOOO

Sully re-entered the clinic by the back door, just in time to hear his wife assure their son that he wouldn't feel what she was about to do because of the local anesthetic she had administered.

Crossing to the clinic's main room, he found Snowbird assisting Michaela, handing her the needed supplies and instruments, while Cloud Dancing had stationed himself close to Matthew's side, providing support and comfort. The portable x-ray machine stood off to one side.

All four glanced his way as he rejoined them.

"How is Brian?" Michaela asked as she worked.

"He's real tore up. Feels real guilty about it...and afraid Matthew's mad at 'im," Sully answered as he watched. "Can I do anything to help?" he asked softly.

"Yes. I'll remove the outer two nails, but the third is wedged against the bone and fixed tight. I might need you to pull it out if my fingers aren't strong enough," she explained briefly, instinctively knowing her husband needed to feel he was 'doing' something to help his stricken son.

Sully nodded and moved into position at her side, glancing into Matthew's eyes. "Ya doin' okay?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," the young man assured, reclining back on his elbows against the exam table.

Glancing around at the others, Michaela commenced removal of the offending metal objects, swiping up and dealing with the blood flow caused by one of the nails nicking a vein. Then testing the third, she nodded to her husband to pull it out of Matthew's leg, cautioning him to be careful and try to pull it straight out the way it went in. He did so, feeling much like he had as a child, playing "Operation", half expecting to hear the nerve wracking 'buzzer' sound off if he made a wrong move.

Finally the nail was out and, crisis averted, Michaela tested the leg for nerve and tendon damage, very relieved that there appeared to be no lasting effects.

She set about cleansing and bandaging the wounds on Matthew's leg and foot as Snowbird assisted, the men standing back to give her room to work, and engaging Matthew in conversation to distract him from the proceedings.

Once completed, Michaela administered a dose of antibiotics as well as a tetanus booster, ignoring Matthew's insistence that he didn't need one.

When she finished, she retrieved a pair of crutches from the supply closet and brought them to her son, helping him find his balance and standing back to allow the men to help him make his way into the living room and onto the couch to rest.

Wiping her hands on a towel and placing a hand on her lower back, which had started to ache from bending over for so long, Michaela looked around at the male occupants of the room.

"Now...will someone please tell me the details of this accident?"

The others glanced around at each other, no one really wanting to be the one to start and make everyone relive the trauma that had invaded their peaceful world in the blink of an eye.

Finally, Sully took a breath and began, "Well…you see…"


	10. Do Love Bugs Really Bite Ya?

**CHAPTER 10 – Do Love Bugs Really Bite Ya?**

Sully closed the door and wrapped his wife in his arms as they stood in front of the fireplace in their bedroom that night, after a tiring and emotionally draining afternoon and evening.

"What a day," Sully whispered against Michaela's soft hair as he held her close, closing his eyes and breathing in her familiar scent. Just holding her close never failed to lift his spirits.

"Indeed," she murmured, closing her eyes and truly relaxing for the first time since Snowbird received the call in Loren's store.

"I feel so bad about Matthew..." Sully began, but she stopped him.

"Don't, sweetheart. Accidents happen. Matter of fact, I saw more than one patient with nail gun injuries during my residency at Boston Memorial...though it was usually in the hand or the arm."

"Even so...I sure didn't do a very good job protectin' my sons," Sully lamented self-deprecatingly. He'd been beating himself up almost constantly since the terrible accident occurred. "Matthew's hurt and Brian's near traumatized."

Pulling back, Michaela looked up into his eyes, seeing the anguish painfully visible in the flickering firelight, and watched as he pressed his lips together in frustration and shook his head.

"Sully...you do a _very_ good job protecting our children – and me," she soothed, lifting a hand to caress his handsome face with the backs of her fingers. "No one is perfect. You have a right to make a mistake now and then. And by the way...you _had_ told Brian not to venture into the work area. _He__'__s_ the one who made the mistake...he disobeyed," she reminded her sensitive husband, steadfastly holding his gaze.

He returned her gaze for a few moments, then shrugged and turned his head to stare into the fire, lost in thought. In truth, he was imagining what would have happened if the nailer had shot Matthew in the chest, or neck, or head. The consequences would have been far more serious. The thought was devastating – and frightening – that something could happen that fast..._in the blink of an eye._

Pulling him back into her arms and settling her body into his, Michaela murmured, "By the way... do you think we should punish Brian?"

"I've been thinkin' about that," Sully began thoughtfully. "I think Matthew's injury alone is punishment enough. Brian'll have to live with the guilt of knowin' _he _caused that injury, and the pain his brother is experiencin'. You know how much Brian idolizes his older brother. Every time Matthew walks past him with those crutches, guilt is gonna eat at him."

"Yes...you're exactly right. Perhaps we can suggest something to alleviate some of that..."

"Yeah...like Brian can fetch and carry for him...do Matthew's chores for him...stuff like that?"

"Excellent idea," Michaela agreed with a sigh, turning her head to gaze into the fire.

They stood thus for several minutes, each lost in thought, both thankful Matthew's injury hadn't been worse.

Finally Michaela yawned her fatigue and Sully pulled back, smoothing her hair from her forehead with a loving smile.

"Somebody's tired. We best get to bed," he whispered lovingly, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She nodded in agreement and after changing into their nightclothes, they slipped into bed, and settled into their familiar cuddling embrace beneath the covers.

After a few minutes, Michaela raised a hand and softly caressed her husband's chest, as always, reveling in the feel of her fingertips roaming gently through warm chest hair.

"I hope Matthew will be alright tonight...it seemed odd leaving him at the clinic to sleep in the recovery room bed – but I knew the stairs here at home would be difficult for him to manage."

"He'll be fine. Cloud Dancin' and Snowbird'll help him with anything he needs...and we're right here if they need ya," Sully assured her comfortingly.

"Yes, that's true," she agreed, closing her eyes and lapsing into tired silence for a few minutes, her mind idly retracing the events of the day. Remembering events at Loren's store, she opened her eyes and tilted her head back a bit to glance up at his profile in the soft moonlight.

"Sully?" she whispered.

"Hmm?" he murmured softly, rousing himself from near sleep.

"Oh, you were sleeping...I'm sorry..."

"No, that's okay," he responded, shaking himself awake. "...What is it?"

"May I ask you something?" she began hesitantly.

"Sure."

"When Matthew was injured...why did Cloud Dancing call Snowbird...why didn't _you_ call _me_?" she asked quietly, the question having been at the back of her mind all day. Although she suspected she knew what her husband would say, she still somehow needed to hear him say it.

He turned toward her a little, trying to look into her eyes in the dim moonlight. Raising a hand, he lovingly smoothed a lock of her hair away from her eyes, and then allowed his hand to move lower until it found and gently caressed the area encasing their baby.

"I was just so scared...so upset," he whispered. "I didn't wanna call ya and get _you_ all upset, knowin' you had to drive home. I knew no matter how I tried to hide it, you'd hear it in my voice... and the thought of me makin' ya worried and causin' something to happen..." he paused, shuddering at the thought, "I didn't wanna take any chances...with _you_, or with this precious cargo," he finished softly, leaning in to press a tiny kiss to her lips.

Michaela kissed him back as her fingers found and entwined with his, touched beyond words at the depth of love this man had for her and how he always went the extra mile to try and ensure her safety – and that of their family and loved ones.

"I love you so much, Sully...more than I have words to explain," she murmured just above a whisper. "I feel so blessed to have you in my life...my soul mate...my... _heartsong.__"_

Sully smiled tenderly at her use of his special endearment and leaned in to kiss her again.

One kiss led to another, and it wasn't long before both felt the familiar delicious tingles that magically occurred from each other's touch.

For the next little while, they reveled in their love and passion, the trauma of the day temporarily receding as their hearts sang their special song...together.

OOOOOOOOO

Matthew looked toward the partially closed door in response to a soft knock, switching off the television he'd only been half watching.

"Come in," he called from the recovery room bed his mother had insisted he remain in for the day.

The door opened all the way, and Ingrid's silky blond hair and lovely face appeared around the jam.

"Hey," she called softly, gazing at him fondly with sparkling blue eyes.

"Hey...c'min," Matthew responded with a grin.

The young woman came in and approached the bed, hesitating shyly as she neared. Glancing around, she pulled a chair over and sat down. "I can't stay long...my family's out in the car..."

"Oh...okay..." he acknowledged with a nod as he shifted on the bed, wincing a little when he moved his leg wrong.

"Your mom told me what happened when I saw her at church today," she began, glancing down at his bandaged leg. "Does it hurt much?"

"It hurts some...she gave me painkillers, though," he admitted, clearing his throat awkwardly, embarrassed for her to see him incapacitated.

"Are you...going to be able to go to school tomorrow?" she asked concernedly.

"Probably not...Mom wants me to stay out a few days, till the swelling goes down..."

"How did it happen? Your mom just said it was an accident with some kind of gun?" she asked, her eyes huge.

Matthew grinned his "Elvis" half smile, raking his hand back through his hair, as was his habit when he was nervous. "Well, not a real 'gun'...it was an automatic nail gun we'd been using on the framing of the new room – you know – the new bedroom we're building on the back of the house..."

"Yeah..." she nodded, remembering when he and Sully had shown her the partially finished foundation the morning of the big storm.

"Well...Brian was chasing Wolf..." he began, "And Wolf ran into the work area...and then Brian, well, he picked up the nail gun, like he was playing cops and robbers or something." At her incredulous expression, he hastened in defense of his brother, "He just didn't know what it was, or that it was dangerous. But Dad, Cloud Dancing, and I instantly freaked, and I guess we scared him. He turned and dropped the gun, but before it hit the ground, it shot out a bunch of three-inch nails in my direction," he finished with a grimace as the words made him instantly recall the horrendous pain he had suffered on impact.

"Oh my gosh! You could have been killed!" Ingrid exclaimed, truly freaked out that something like this had happened to someone she knew...and loved.

"Yeah...I _know_...and when I heard the sound of that gun goin' off, I was afraid I was _gonna_ be," he admitted quietly, adding, "It scared my Dad, too, big time," he added, scenes playing like a movie in his mind of Sully jumping down from the ladder, falling to his knees beside him and asking in obvious terror if he'd been hit anywhere other than his leg.

"I can imagine! How many nails hit you?" she asked in horror, remembering he had said the gun had 'shot out a bunch'.

"Just three, thank God, and none went into any bones or vital organs," he related, unconsciously echoing his physician mother. "Even so, they hurt bad...I never _had_ anything hurt like that. I stepped on a nail too – after I was hit," he added, embarrassed that it made him sound clumsy. "I stepped back on a board with nails sticking up and one went through my shoe."

"Oh Matthew..." Ingrid murmured softly, wanting to reach out and comfort him...take care of him...his injured state causing the nurturing instinct within to roar to life.

Unsure, however, of the status of their 'relationship', she asked instead, "Does Brian feel bad?"

"Oh man, _yeah_," he immediately returned. "But I told him I wasn't mad at him. I know he didn't mean to hurt me. When he saw what he'd done, he started ballin' and screamin', 'I'm sorry Matthew!' and ran in the house."

"I'm so sorry this happened to you..." Ingrid murmured caringly, reaching out to brush his arm lightly with her fingertips.

He smiled and unconsciously allowed his eyes to caress her face for a moment as he whispered, "Thanks..."

The two young people lapsed into silence with that, each glancing around the room shyly and fidgeting with their clothes. Finally, Ingrid cleared her throat and stood up, murmuring, "Well, I better get going...my sisters are probably driving my mom crazy wanting lunch..."

Matthew watched as she carefully replaced the chair to its previous location and headed toward the door. _Say something! Don't let her just walk out..._

"Ingrid?" he blurted quickly.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning with a look of hopeful expectation as she brushed a lock of her silky hair back from her face.

"Um...we...we haven't had much chance to talk or...anything...since the night of the storm...but," he stumbled, trying desperately not to just blurt out, _I'm crazy about you!_

"Yeah..." she nodded, catching her lip between her teeth as her heart rate began to speed up. She swallowed hard, striving to not let him see an absolute _head over heels_ expression in her eyes as she waited, hoping he would say something 'personal.'

"Well, I...I just want you to know...when I kissed ya? I meant it," he explained, wishing he could have come up with something more specific, but not knowing how to put his feelings into words.

Seeing Ingrid smile and nod, a slight pink blush making her face seem even more beautiful, if that were possible, let him know she 'got' his meaning as she murmured, "I know...I meant it, too."

With that, she waved goodbye and called softly, "See you later," as she disappeared out the door.

Matthew listened to her footsteps and heard the outer door close before slinging his pillow up in the air with a joyous, "Yahoo!"

OOOOOOOOO

The days passed, with cold weather settling in seemingly with the first day of December. Sully spent time at Robert E.'s, working on the El Camino – in truth not wishing to go near the unfinished room until the trauma of the accident faded some from his mind – and to give he and Cloud Dancing time to hang out together.

Michaela spent much time at the clinic, nearly 'hovering' over Matthew, until Sully took pity on his son and gently pulled his wife away the evening of the third day of the convalescence, drawing her into the kitchen area of the clinic.

"You're babyin' him, Michaela," he murmured as they watched their youngest son hurry from the kitchen with a glass of milk for his older brother. "He's doin' fine...the swellin's down – you said so yourself. I think he should go back to school tomorrow, usin' his crutches, of course..."

"Oh Sully, it's too soon for him to go back to school!" Michaela instantly countered, watching as Matthew winced while maneuvering on the couch. "There are stairs at school...do you know how difficult it is to negotiate steps on crutches?" she asked incredulously, a little surprised at her normally understanding husband's 'callousness'. "I want him to remain at home this week. Then if he feels up to it, he may go back on Monday."

Sully tilted his head and looked into her eyes with a 'Now Michaela' look, but she shook her head, standing her ground. "_Monday_," she insisted. "I _am_ his doctor, after all..." she added with a mischievous twinkle.

Chuckling softly, he moved behind her, wrapping her warmly in his arms and whispering, "Okay, okay...mother hen."

They both chuckled as they watched the children. Even after three days, the girls and Brian were still hovering around their brother, bringing him items, fluffing pillows behind him. Surprisingly, he was drinking in the attention, although when Hannah tried to hold his glass so he could drink, he drew the line with a slightly frustrated, "I'm not an _invalid_!"

Feeling Sully chuckle behind her, Michaela smiled happily at the sight. Her mind then drifting to a certain frequent visitor, she leaned her head back onto Sully's shoulder, enjoying his warmth and closeness as she murmured, "Ingrid has become quite a fixture around here lately, hmm?"

"Yep," he agreed, remembering the longing looks exchanged that evening between his son and the lovely young woman as they had sat together on the couch, chatting. "I'd say they've both been bitten by the love bug," he whispered, punctuating his words with a nibble on her earlobe, and nuzzling her neck as she chuckled softly and raised a hand to caress his face.

"But...they're only sixteen...and after they spent the night together at the lake..." she paused, shuddering with parental reaction to the words, "perhaps we should...talk to them...caution them..."

"_Chaela_," Sully chided softly, "Matthew knows the score...and I told ya, I talked to 'im about that stuff when we spent the evenin' workin' on the El Camino," he reminded her. "He's got his head on straight. Don't worry."

"Yes, but...sometimes...when people get excited...they might do something they'd regret," she commented, her mind flashing back to her and Sully's first night alone in the cave and how hard it was to resist the pull of their attraction for one another.

Sully remembered that night also, but from a different perspective. "But when two people know right from wrong...they find the strength to honor their convictions."

Turning her in his arms, his left arm around her waist, he took hold of her hand with his right and raising it to his lips, he looked down into her eyes as she gazed back steadily.

"Ya gotta let him grow up, Michaela," he admonished just above a whisper. "You gotta let him prove himself as a man. A man who makes good decisions."

"But...we must guide and advise and..." she argued, but he stopped her with a gentle finger to her mouth, dipping his head to replace it with his lips.

"We been doin' that, and he's listened," he whispered against her lips, serving to distract her, as was his intention. "That's one of the hardest things about bein' a parent...knowing when ta back off."

She took in a sighing breath and nodded. "Yes, you're right...it's just...so hard," she admitted softly, turning her head to gaze at their children, who had all settled together to watch 'American Pickers' on the History Channel and chuckling that the guys were traveling through Colorado on that episode.

"I never said it was _easy_," he snickered softly, watching his family, and so glad once again that Matthew's injury had not been worse.

"When the time is right, he'll know how to treat a woman with respect and honor...I'm makin' sure of that."

That statement sparked a memory, and Michaela turned her head again to look up into her husband's eyes with a soft grin. "Speaking of which...I forgot to tell you I saw Ellen Miller at Loren's the day of Matthew's accident..."

"Oh yeah? How they doin'?" he asked with interest.

"Actually, they are doing wonderfully well...and she asked me to tell you that she will forever appreciate what you did in the bus that night...making the first move to end the feud," she related with a proud smile.

"Aww, it was as much him as me," he answered with a characteristically humble shrug.

"She said Harv's been a different man since that night, he apologized to her and the kids, and he's been treating her so well...in _her_ words...like _you_ treat _me_..." she added in pleased amazement.

Sully's face eased into his dimpled grin and he nodded, thinking of he and Harv's hours together that cold night.

Watching him, Michaela raised her eyebrows and tilted her head slightly, silently asking him to fill in the missing pieces. Sully chuckled, his eyes shifting back and forth between hers in that way that always made her tingle.

"You wanna know what we talked about...don't ya," he stated more than asked.

"I'm _dying_ to know," she admitted with a twinkle and a saucy grin.

"Well...after we declared the war to be at an end...and after the false alarm of headlights at the gate...we just...talked...for _hours_. It was too cold to sleep – and too uncomfortable. So...we talked about our young years, and our families...and then he started askin' me things...specific things about _you_..." at her look of alarm, he amended, "I mean...things about how we _are_ together, things I do to show ya I love ya...wantin' ideas of how to be romantic...stuff like that. I wondered how serious he was...but evidently, he soaked up everything I said like a dry sponge," he added with a wry shake of his head.

"He did, indeed. It seems he's gone from hating you to wanting to be _just like_ you," Michaela quipped with a grin. "Although, truth be told, he probably wished all along that he was more like you..."

"Aww, I don't know about that..." he shook his head self-deprecatingly.

Just then, Snowbird descended the stairs and Cloud Dancing came in the back door, effectively ending their conversation, much to Michaela's chagrin, as she had hoped for specifics, her curiosity at full tilt.

She made a mental note to ask him more about it later when they were alone.

OOOOOOOOO

Five more days passed in which the family enjoyed Cloud Dancing and Snowbird's visit. Matthew slowly recovered, the puncture wound in his foot healed quickly, allowing more freedom of movement. He spent the days that week hanging out with his father and Cheyenne father, either at the barn, or at Robert E.'s, or sitting in the construction area with his leg propped up, watching the two men work on closing in the new room.

Once they resumed work on the room, they had the outside sheathing finished and the roof completed in short order. By Friday, they cut the doorway, not far from the base of the interior staircase. This gave Sully a feeling of nostalgia and admiration as he cut through the sturdy wall built by his ancestor nearly a century and a half before, admiring once again the original Sully's workmanship.

With insulation, the new room would be comfortable to work in while finishing the interior in their spare time throughout the winter.

Monday came and Matthew returned to school, needing only one crutch to help him if his leg got fatigued.

Monday was also the day of Michaela's monthly checkup, on which Sully adamantly accompanied her, flashing her an incredulous look when she even suggested Snowbird could go with her instead so he could work on the room if he liked.

"Are you kiddin'?" he asked in shock. "I promised ya – you ain't ever goin' to see that doctor without me. _Period_," he added firmly, prompting a grin to be exchanged between their friends.

Raising an eyebrow at him saucily, Michaela flashed a look at their Cheyenne friends and gathered her purse and jacket, murmuring, "We'll see you later."

OOOOOOOOO

"So, how are you doing?" Dr. Bernard asked after shaking hands with them both and making himself comfortable.

"Fine, doctor. So much better," Michaela answered happily. "As I had told you, I experienced three solid weeks of morning sickness, but thankfully, that has subsided."

"Yeah, I was real worried about her there for awhile," Sully added, hovering close, his body turned sideways to the table so she could press herself against him for warmth. "I was so worried, I was startin' to feel queasy myself," he admitted with a chuckle.

The doctor eyed him for a moment with a wry grin, commenting, "That right? Watch out that you don't fall into Couvade Syndrome then, my friend."

"Cue what?" Sully asked, noting his wife's amused grin.

"Couvade Syndrome," she supplied. Exchanging an amused glance with her colleague, she explained, "It causes an expectant father to experience symptoms such as stomach pain, indigestion, changes in appetite, weight gain, cravings, nausea..." she paused, chuckling at her husband's wide-eyed expression. "In extreme cases, fathers can grow a belly similar to a seven-month pregnant woman and gain 25 to 30 pounds," she added cheekily. "Although it is a matter of some disagreement in the medical community, I personally believe the phenomenon is entirely psychosomatic..."

"Hmm, well, in my twenty-five years of practice, I've witnessed it many times," Dr. Bernard assured them with a deadpan expression. "In one case, the father even experienced labor pains."

Sully visibly blanched at this news, wondering if, with the uncanny connection he and Michaela shared, he would also feel pain during the delivery of their child.

The two physicians exchanged another amused glance, as Dr. Bernard took sympathy upon the other man and assured, "Though I'm sure it was just psychosomatic, as your wife mentioned."

Sully nodded and swallowed dryly, still wondering if he would fall prey to the malady and if so, how badly the pains would hurt. Glancing into Michaela's twinkling eyes, he consciously shook off the fear and pulled her closer, pressing a soft kiss to her lips and gently caressing her nose with his as he mentally determined to stay strong.

The doctor grinned and turned his attention back to his patient. "Have you noticed any abnormalities or symptoms? For instance, forgetfulness...a feeling of being fuzzy-headed...or even clumsy?"

Michaela rolled her eyes as she heard Sully chuckle softly, glancing at him as she answered, "Yes...I have to admit I have found myself forgetting things, and yes, even dropping things,' she admitted self-deprecatingly. It was a strange occurrence for her, as she normally always felt sharp minded and in control. Glancing at Sully again, she continued humbly, "When I was working on Matthew's leg, it took all my concentration to remember what to do next."

With a gentle smile, he leaned close and whispered, "I sure didn't notice ya havin' any trouble." She flashed him a grateful smile.

"Well, don't worry. That will pass quickly, I assure you. And you should be tapering off on the mood swings as well," the doctor reassured her with a knowing smile. Sully gave an inward cheer at that news.

Finished with his notes, the doctor stood and motioned for her to lie back on the table, as Sully automatically moved to her head.

"Let's see how this little one is progressing," the doctor murmured as he slipped his hand under the sheet and expertly felt along the still small mound.

"Everything feels normal. At sixteen weeks, your baby is about the size of an avocado, and he or she is beginning to look more like a baby at this stage," he offered, speaking more for Sully's benefit than Michaela's. "You may begin to notice movement soon, if you haven't already."

"I...I'm not sure," Michaela murmured, glancing up at Sully's face. "Yesterday, I did think I felt a flutter or two, but it only lasted for about ten seconds..."

The doctor nodded and moved his stethoscope to his ears, placing the bell against her belly and listening intently. A smile came to his face, and he removed the earpieces, offering them to Sully. "It's very faint, but if you concentrate, you can hear your baby's heartbeat."

Remembering the fact that he had missed out on this treat when Hannah was still inside, because their doctor never offered, Sully nodded eagerly. Moving to his wife's side, he quickly inserted the device in his ears and closed his eyes, his handsome face transforming with an ecstatic grin as he heard their baby for the first time. Meeting Michaela's eyes, his contained a hint of tears as he whispered, "Chaela...I can hear him...his little heart's just beatin' away in there!"

Tears instantly pricked Michaela's eyes at the expression of awe on her husband's face.

Swallowing emotionally, she managed to chide, "Him? He might be a 'she', remember," to which he grinned even more and nodded, glancing from his wife to their smiling doctor and back, like a child excited with a new toy on Christmas Day.

OOOOOOOOO

The next morning, Sully's birthday, Michaela set to work as soon as the kids left for school and Sully and Cloud Dancing went to the barn, her main goal for the day to make his birthday cake – from scratch – _the way his mother had always done._

She had asked her husband several weeks prior what she could do to make his birthday special, and after he had assured her that 'Just havin' her, the kids, and the baby' was all he needed, Sully had divulged that he missed the delicious German Chocolate cakes his mother made every year for his birthday. "The kind with real frosting with roasted pecans, coconut and everything."

So, having declined Snowbird's offer of help, and armed with a recipe downloaded from a made-from-scratch website, Michaela, with her usual zeal, set about the task of baking the best German Chocolate cake her husband had ever tasted. The fact that she had never baked a cake from scratch before, and that baking in general was not her strong suit, she dismissed from her thoughts.

Reading the list of ingredients from the recipe, she whispered, "Flour... sugar... baking soda... baking powder..." as she went around the room collecting the items. "Four ounces Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate, melted and cooled." Stopping right there, she put the chocolate in a pan and completed that step before continuing, "Salt...butter – room temperature...oh no, I forgot to take the butter out of the refrigerator!" Dashing to the appliance, she retrieved the butter and set it on top of the pre-heating oven, hoping it wouldn't take too long to come to 'room temperature,' and chiding herself for forgetting to take it out when she first came downstairs that morning.

Returning to the table to continue, she murmured to herself, "Buttermilk...vanilla...two eggs..." She then read the instructions aloud as she moved around the kitchen, greasing two cake pans, sifting the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

Her hair, which she had tied back in a braid, soon became dampened and loosened from exertion and the heat from the oven and the fireplaces, and she hastily brushed a lock back from her face, unknowingly leaving a trail of baking powder in its path.

Next, the recipe instructed to cream the butter (which took longer than it should have since it was only partially softened), add the flour mixture, part of the buttermilk, and the vanilla.

That done, and feeling confident, she quickly finished mixing the cake batter with an electric mixer and added the now melted chocolate, eggs, and the rest of the buttermilk. Pouring the mixture into the readied pans, she slid them in the oven and set the timer for thirty-five minutes.

"So far, so good," she congratulated herself as she stepped to the table to begin reading the instructions for roasting the pecans for the frosting.

Just then, the phone rang, and she wiped her hands as she moved over to answer it. It was Snowbird, who was packing for their return trip first thing in the morning, wanting to know if Michaela had seen a certain item of clothing. Assuring her friend she had not, they chatted for a moment before Michaela hung up and crossed to her recipe again.

Minutes later, having chopped and seasoned the pecans, she placed them in the microwave as the phone rang again, this time, a patient calling to reschedule an appointment.

That taken care of, Michaela turned back to her task, mentally reorienting herself. Checking the pecans and turning them, she placed them back in the microwave for another round and then began mixing milk, brown and white sugar, butter, and vanilla, in a saucepan. The phone rang just as the microwave buzzed, and Michaela answered, holding it with her shoulder while trying to check the pecans. The call being just from a salesman, she did her best to ring off quickly, checking the instructions that said to cook the pecans until they looked done, so she returned them to the microwave for another round.

Suddenly remembering she was supposed to be constantly stirring the frosting mixture, she let out an exasperated, "Oh no!" and moved to the stove. Grasping the wooden paddle, she let out a yelp of pain as the handle had become very hot. Quickly wrapping a towel around it, and stirring, she hoped the rough texture she felt at the bottom did not mean that it was starting to stick.

Just then, she realized she should have already separated and beaten the three egg yolks! Thinking quickly, she lowered the temperature under the saucepan and hurried to the table, breaking and separating the eggs, all the while keeping a wary eye on the frosting mixture, which she could hear bubbling in a boil.

Checking the recipe, she realized it said to remove the pan from the heat and that the mixture might appear a bit curdled. "Curdled?" she whispered in confusion, leaning over and trying to rub flower from the words on the page. Shrugging, she checked and sure enough, the mixture _did_ look curdled – and unappetizing – so she removed it from the heat just as the microwave sounded again.

Feeling quite fatigued at this point, and fighting off thoughts of, "What have I gotten myself into?" as she stepped to the device and opened the door, she sighed with frustration that the pecans _still_ did not seem cooked enough! _How long does it take?_ She wondered silently, wishing the recipe had been more specific as she shut the door and quickly pushed the buttons for another go.

Hurrying back to the table, the phone rang again, but this time she ignored it, determined to stay on task. Glancing at the recipe, she saw it instructed to stir a small amount of the hot frosting mixture into the beaten egg yolks and then return the yolk mixture to the saucepan and blend well. Shrugging, as this made no sense, she did as instructed and returned the pan to the heat, allowing it to boil once again.

She continued to stir the bubbling concoction, unsure of how long to let it cook, but decided that it was becoming quite thick and harder to stir. Taking it from the heat, she carefully folded in a three-ounce can of flaked coconut.

Just then, she tilted her head and sniffed, noticing a burnt smell in the air. Horrified, she realized the microwave had been running much longer than the extra 'minute' she thought she had punched in. Running to the device, she opened the door, grabbing the plate without thinking and yelling out in pain when it burned her fingers, causing her to drop the whole thing on the floor, just as the men opened the front door and stepped inside.

"Michaela?" Sully called gently, both men standing open-mouthed as they surveyed the mess. Turning toward them in total frustration, fatigue, and self-disgust, she nearly burst into embarrassed tears. He took one look at her – hair a mess, her face streaked with baking powder, the kitchen full of smoke, pecan pieces and a broken plate on the floor, ingredients scattered from one side of the room to the other - and instantly clamped down all semblance of the laughter that was trying to bubble forth from his lips. He could see in her eyes she was on the verge of a total meltdown.

Instead, he made his way over to his defeated, frazzled, pregnant wife and took her gently into his arms, casting a look at his brother and mouthing, "Snowbird." The other man understood instantly and nodded with a sympathetic smile, silently making his way out the door to fetch his wife.

Michaela looked around at the disaster area. "Oh Sully...your cake...I wanted it to be perfect..." she squeaked, unknowingly depositing more flour onto her face as she swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Aw sweetheart...it's alright..." Sully crooned soothingly. Just then, the oven timer went off and Michaela cringed, fearing the worst. Sully grabbed an oven mitt and quickly removed the pans from the oven, revealing perfectly formed cake layers that smelled divine.

Grinning charmingly at her, he drew her back into his arms and leaned in for a kiss, adoring how this woman he loved more than life itself would go to such lengths to try and please him, the flour on her face making her seem even more adorable in his eyes.

"Don't worry about the fancy frostin'. There's a can of white icing in the cabinet. Put that on the cake and it'll be fine...okay, mé'oo'o?"

Looking up at him, tears filled her eyes at this amazing man who was her husband. He could have laughed at her – most men would have! He could have made fun of her. But instead, he quietly offers a solution to allow her to 'save face'.

Sniffling softly, she whispered, "Oh Sully...I love you so much..." to which he smiled lovingly with a whispered, "I love you, too," and pressed a kiss to her lips, folding her in his arms for a much needed hug.

His actions and words calming the storm, it was a smiling Michaela and Sully that Snowbird encountered as she came through the door, having been prepared for the worst by her concerned husband.

Amid gentle teasing and much laughter, the two women completed the clean up of the homestead's love-filled kitchen.

OOOOOOOOO

Loren turned at the sound of the bell over the door, his smile of welcome widening as he saw who came in. He'd been thinking about her continually since the previous evening at Sully's birthday party. Never had she looked more beautiful than she had in the stylish purple dress she'd been wearing. All evening, he could barely take his eyes off of her.

"Dorothy," he greeted with a twinkle.

"Loren," she responded, glancing at him as she walked toward at item she needed, then doing a double take as she saw he was watching her with what could almost be termed a "loving" look, she added, "What's goin' on?"

"Oh, nothin'," he returned, moving items around on the counter as she stopped near the shampoo section of a shelf.

"How've you been?" he asked, striving to appear casual.

"You mean since last night, Loren?" she quipped, flashing an amused glance his way as she picked up a bottle and moved to the counter.

"Yeah...uh...I mean...did ya have a good time at the party last night?" he stammered, scrambling for something to say and hoping she wasn't thinking he'd lost his mind.

"Yes, it was very nice, although I wondered what the private joke was between Sully, Michaela, Cloud Dancing, and Snowbird...they all just kept snickering, and Michaela kept blushing, especially when it came time for the cake," she commented offhandedly. "I didn't see anything wrong with it...she had it decorated fine with _Happy Birthday Sully..."_

"Yeah, I kinda asked Sully, but he wouldn't say much, just somethin' about a small fire and a change of plans. Michaela'd bought all the stuff to make German chocolate cake, but I guess she changed her mind," he added, watching as she bent to retrieve a bottle of lotion from the bottom shelf near the counter.

Straightening up, she turned to look him full in the face only to find he was still watching her. "Is there somethin' on your mind, Loren?" she asked as she reached in her purse for the money to pay for her items.

Ringing up the purchases, he started to hem and haw with an 'Awww..." Then, he clamped his mouth shut and gazed at her determinedly, remembering a conversation he'd had with Sully recently, in which the younger man had advised him to just 'go for it' in regards to romance. Gathering his courage and self-confidence, he suddenly reached for her hand, raising it to his lips with a gallant kiss.

"I wanna ask you something Dorothy. Last time I asked ya was thirty-five years ago. Ya turned me down," he stated firmly.

"What are you talking about, Loren Bray?" she replied, her blue eyes large as she gazed at her brother-in-law, half afraid he was going to propose.

"I...I wanna take ya out...you know...on a _date_...this Friday night," he finally blurted, holding his breath with raised eyebrows as he stared into her eyes and waited for her answer.

Blinking several times in surprise, she recalled the occasion thirty-five years previous when he had, indeed, asked her out and she'd turned him down in favor of the man who had become her womanizing husband. Now all these years later, faithful Loren was once again asking permission to 'court' her.

Though Loren had never been dashing, handsome, debonair, or exciting, as her ex-husband Marcus had been...she admitted to herself that over the years, she had actually been a little jealous of her sister's more stable marriage. Dorothy had wished more than once that she had accepted Loren's invitation that fateful day. Perhaps second chances really did happen...

Smiling and lowering her head in acquiescence, she replied, "What time will you call for me?"

Loren's mouth dropped open, and then he grinned like the Cheshire cat. Puffing up to his full height, he hooked his thumbs in his vest as he announced with a confirming nod, "I'll pick you up at seven."

She lowered her head, flashing a flirtatious grin, as she replied, "I'll be ready," and made her way to the entrance, turning once to bat her eyelashes at him before disappearing out the door, and chuckling when she heard through the closed door a vivacious, "Yahoo!"


	11. Christmas in Boston

**CHAPTER 11 – Christmas in Boston**

"Hey Daniel, how've you guys been?" Sully spoke into the phone as he settled on the couch next Michaela. She snuggled in, curling her body against his as he wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her gently.

"Real good, Sully. I never been happier in my whole life," Daniel answered sincerely, reaching for Sarah's hand and raising it to his lips for a kiss. "I don't know what I've done to deserve such an angel of a wife, but whatever it is, I hope I keep on," he added with a twinkle as Sarah grinned and stretched up to give him a sweet kiss, curled next to him on their couch just as Michaela and Sully were on theirs.

Sully chuckled and wrapped his arm closer around his lovely wife. "I know exactly whatcha mean, Daniel," he murmured. Michaela smiled and turned her head toward him instinctively. He leaned in for a soft kiss, which she reciprocated gladly, her eyes twinkling happily.

"So, how's Michaela doing?" Daniel asked conversationally, knowing his friend's wife had been through a tough time when they first found out about her pregnancy.

"She's fine. Baby's fine, too. You should hear what a strong heartbeat she has..." Sully added with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Or _he_ has..." Michaela interrupted with a grin.

"Yeah...or he," he acquiesced with a wink.

"That's great, Sully. We're hopin' to start our family soon...but so far it hasn't happened," Daniel confided, smiling into his wife's eyes and entwining their fingers.

"Aw don't worry, it will," Sully assured. Then with a burst of playfulness, he added with a rakish grin at his wife, "You might try spendin' the night together in a teepee."

"Sully!" Michaela whispered, her face turning pink, feeling as if Sully had shown his friend a picture of them in the act of conceiving their baby.

"A teepee, huh? Never thought of that," Daniel laughed, of course not knowing the full meaning behind Sully's suggestion.

"So, you guys ready for Christmas?" Sully asked, changing the subject before he plunged himself in hot water.

"Yeah, sort of. We're gonna spend it in Pueblo with Sarah's folks."

"Sounds good. We're goin' to Boston for Christmas week."

"Wow, man – you drivin' or flyin'?" Daniel reacted, knowing how long of a driving trip that would be.

"Flyin'...Michaela's brother-in-law, you remember Robert..."

"Yeah..."

"He paid for the tickets. Michaela's mom wants to spend time with her...you know...while she's pregnant...so..." he began, but Daniel interrupted, "Yeah, I get it. So you sacrifice to keep the peace," Daniel snickered, dodging his wife's hands as she tried to tickle him in retribution.

Sully laughed. "No, man, it ain't like that. I'm lookin' forward to it. Michaela's family's great," he assured his friend truthfully.

"Mmm hmm," Daniel crooned, playfully doubtful. "Oh by the way, thanks for the Christmas card – it was the first one we got at our apartment. Sarah's gonna keep it in her scrapbook."

"You're welcome, Daniel," Sully returned with a pleased grin, remembering Michaela sitting at the table painstakingly addressing cards to each of their friends and loved ones, her sweet voice humming and singing along with Christmas music playing on the kitchen radio.

"Listen man," Daniel continued, "the reason I called is...you know I'm the leader of the youth group at our church, right?"

"Yep," Sully answered, reaching for his glass of iced tea he had earlier sat on the coffee table.

"Well, we're makin' plans for this comin' year, fun things for the kids to do, and we thought we'd like to take 'em camping next spring."

Sully took a swallow of his tea and nodded, murmuring, "Sounds good..."

"Yeah, we mentioned it to 'em and they were all excited. What would you think of havin' twenty or so teens, plus chaperones, camping out for a week on your property? I was thinkin' somewhere on your acreage, not near the house or anything...and we'd pay ya, of course, just as if we were renting cabins or something...they could ride the horses and..."

"Hang on a minute..." Sully interrupted, laying the phone against his chest as he quickly discussed it with Michaela, whose only concern was how close it would be to her due date. When Daniel suggested the last week in April, Michaela agreed, calculating she would have another three weeks before D-day.

"Alright, sounds good, Daniel."

"Great! We'll get with ya after the first of the year on price per camper. Thanks, Sully."

"No problem. I'm always open for ways to make a little cash," Sully returned with a grin, then the two friends went on chatting for several more minutes before ending their call with heartfelt wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

As Sully pressed the disconnect button on the cordless phone, Michaela sat forward on the couch, eyeing the kitchen as if deep in thought.

Sully looked over his shoulder at the room, and seeing nothing, turned back to his wife. "What is it, sweetheart...you hungry again?" he teased.

"Yes...my lunch just didn't fill me up today..." she admitted, pushing at him playfully as he snickered.

"All right..." he chuckled, rising to his feet. "Whatdya want? I'll get it for ya."

But she was already on her feet following him to the kitchen. "I'm not sure...I think I'll just...see what we have."

Sully nodded and leaned to give her a quick smooch before stooping to stoke the fire in the kitchen fireplace as Michaela rummaged through the fridge and cabinets. Several minutes later, Sully stood and turned from the hearth to see his wife sitting at the kitchen table, obviously enjoying her mid-afternoon snack – which to him was a disgusting combination of a piece of left over apple pie and a large dill pickle. Tilting his head a little to one side, eyes narrowed in confusion, he just stared at her as if she'd suddenly grown two heads.

"Hey...are you copying _Michaela_?" he asked incredulously – not having any idea how _anyone_ could stomach such a mishmash.

Michaela chuckled and wiped her mouth with a napkin, giving a tiny shrug. "It's the strangest thing...ever since we read in the journal about Michaela eating this...I haven't been able to get it out of my mind." Then seeing his expression of disgust, she added, "They really are quite good together...just the right amount of sweetness and...zing."

"Sweetness and _zing_?" he repeated, swallowing dryly, suddenly feeling a bit nauseous.

"Yes," she answered firmly, staring at him as she took another large bite of the pickle.

He raised his eyebrows, shaking his head in amazement as he grabbed his jacket to escape to Robert E.'s to work on the El Camino, choosing to leave her to her unappetizing feast.

She watched him go, chuckling as she wolfed down a large bite of pie.

OOOOOOOOO

In the weeks following Matthew's accident, he and Ingrid became inseparable. She spent many evenings with him, first at the clinic, then at the house, quickly becoming a fixture not only in Matthew's life, but in the family's as well. This development both pleased and worried Michaela.

As the time drew near for the family to leave on their trip, Matthew began making small suggestions regarding him staying at home – first with the excuse of watching the house, then trying to use his rapidly healing injury.

Finally one evening, the two young people stood together at the door saying their goodbyes, Michaela busying herself in the kitchen, trying not to eavesdrop.

"I love you," Matthew murmured.

"I love you, too...are you going to talk to your parents about it...?" Ingrid murmured softly, leaning her head just a bit to try and tell if Michaela could hear them.

"Yeah..." Matthew began.

"There's only a few days left..."

"I know..." the young man hedged, glancing over his shoulder at his mother, who was busy putting dishes away.

Turning back, he smiled at his beautiful girlfriend. Her blond hair sparkled in the firelight from across the room, her blue eyes filled with love for him. How did he get so lucky? "I'll talk to ya tomorrow. You better not keep your mom waiting any longer."

She nodded, then leaning for one more kiss, she turned and slipped out the door, calling politely, "Goodnight, Dr. Mike," their fingers keeping their connection as long as possible.

He waved at her and acknowledged her mom in the car before shutting the door against the cold. Turning, he observed his mother for a few moments, knowing her careful movements and serious expression meant she was deep in thought. He wondered if he was part of those thoughts. He...and...

Michaela looked up just then, commenting offhandedly, "She stayed late tonight."

Before he could formulate a plan, the words burst determinedly from his lips, "Mom...I want to stay here when you guys go to Boston."

"You are going with us, Matthew, and that is final," Michaela stated firmly, moving her hands to her hips as she stared into his rapidly angering eyes. She had seen this storm brewing and had tried to mentally prepare herself for the row, however, now that it was upon her, she was at a loss to know exactly how to handle an openly defiant Matthew.

"You don't need me, I..." he paused as she quickly interrupted. "You are part of this family, Matthew Galen, and I will not have you hurting your Grandmother's feelings with your absence – not to mention the rest of the family!" Michaela insisted firmly.

Roughly shoving his hand back through his hair in frustration, he sputtered, "But...I don't wanna leave Ingrid!"

"That is ridiculous!" Michaela erupted, gripping the back of a kitchen chair in irritation. "We will only be gone a week, Matthew..." she began, glancing to the side as Sully descended the stairs, having heard their raised voices. The younger three children hastily followed when they heard their older brother actually raising his voice to their mother, but kept out of sight, unsure of what was about to happen in their normally peaceful household.

"You don't _understand_! I...I _love_ her!" Matthew exploded loudly, banging his hand on the back of the chair he had gripped in an effort to keep control.

"I understand..." Michaela began, thinking of how hard it was to be away from Sully, but Matthew cut her off with a sarcastic, "No you don't."

Sully had entered the kitchen, arriving at his wife's side, and instantly interjecting in a firm voice that brooked no argument, "Don't talk to your mother in that tone of voice, Matthew."

Matthew stared back at his parents, breathing heavily. In truth, raging hormones made him feel like his emotions were spiraling out of control, but seeing his mother's face tense with emotion, her hands unconsciously slipping down to cup and 'protect' her baby from the roiling tension in the room, he managed to dial himself down a bit, murmuring, "Sorry."

Striving to find a way to dispel the tension, Sully sighed, lifting an hand to lightly caress his wife's tense shoulders, his eyes on his son as the young man shifted to his nearly healed leg and then back with a soft wince.

Pressing his lips together for a moment, Sully took a steadying breath, explaining gently, "Look...Matthew...sometimes you have to do things in life that you don't necessarily want to do," adding firmly, "And I'm afraid this is one of those times."

Matthew drew in a slightly surprised breath, having expected Sully would see his side of things and work his magic to convince Michaela. He stared at his father, his mind quickly weighing his options, which included outright rude rebellion. Sully's expression both begged and insisted that Matthew not argue.

After a few moments, Matthew finally backed down, realizing this was one argument he would not win. Releasing a sigh, he ground his teeth and shut his eyes, lowering his head in grudging defeat.

Immensely relieved because he had fully expected an emotional explosion, Sully moved toward his son, offering gently yet firmly, "I know how you feel, son. But you'll live. Trust me."

Matthew raised his head, glancing from his father to his mother's tense, guarded expression and back as Sully ordered gently, "Go on up to bed now, son."

Neither Matthew nor Michaela said another word as Matthew gave a nod and pressed his lips together, moving past his mother to make his way to the steps with his slightly limping gait. The children had retreated quickly upon hearing their father's last order.

When their son had left the room, the harried parents met one another's eyes, silently moving into each other's arms for a long moment before locking up and ascending the stairs for bed.

OOOOOOOOO

The couple remained silent as they prepared for bed, each deep in thought about this latest ripple in the normally smooth current of their family life.

When at last they climbed into bed and snuggled together, their room warm and cozy from the fire Sully had kindled, Michaela sighed quietly, pressing her face into her husband's neck as she unconsciously sought his support for her inner turmoil.

"Ya okay?" he whispered softly, gently caressing her arm and shoulder.

"Yes..." she began, then tilted back to look into his face. "Sully...why did he get so angry with me?"

Sully smiled knowingly, searching her eyes in the soft firelight as he explained gently, "He's in love."

Michaela nodded with a small smile, remembering the long and miserable days she and Sully had suffered through when he had flown to the reservation for a week during their dating months.

"Yes...it's as simple as that, isn't it." she stated more than asked.

He smiled that uncomplicated, wise grin and nodded with a whispered, "'Fraid so," as he leaned in to press a kiss to her lips.

"I came back from the restroom earlier and found them, together, on the couch..." she hesitated, searching his eyes as hers spoke volumes.

"Kissin'?" he asked with a knowing grin.

"Yes. Very..._intense_ kissing," she explained, the expression in her eyes leaving no doubt as to her meaning as they both remembered their own _intense_ kissing sessions during their courtship.

"Oh Sully...they're so young...what should we do?" Michaela asked softly, feeling as if she were on a speeding train that was barreling down the tracks, with no brakes.

"Well...what _ever_ we do, we gotta be careful," he offered softly, gently pressing her head into the curve of his neck and shoulder, running his fingers gently through the long strands of her hair. "This is the kinda thing that can really wreck parent/child relationships."

"Yes, I know..." she sighed worriedly, searching her mind for solutions. Finally, her thoughts making full circuit, she murmured, "I wonder if Michaela ever faced this with..._her_ Matthew and Ingrid?" Her eyes opened large as the similarities hit her once again.

Without a word, Sully reached to his nightstand and retrieved the treasured volume as Michaela switched on her bedside lamp. Each scooted up to sitting positions as Sully opened the journal, mentally calculating where in the narrative such an episode might have occurred.

His eyes scanning the pages until he found the name "Ingrid," he stopped and angled the book toward his wife so she could read the elegant script aloud.

_**May 15, 1868**_

_**I fear I may have damaged beyond repair the fledgling relationship I'd managed to cultivate with Matthew. Sunday after church, we were sitting together eating our picnic lunch when Matthew told us he's in love with Ingrid – and that he intends to marry her! Before I could stop myself, I blurted, "You're not getting married. I forbid it!" which only prompted him to stalk off from the table in anger.**_

"Oh dear, that's exactly what I don't want to do," Michaela murmured, glancing up at her husband as he softly nodded. She continued reading...

_**He was gone the entire next day, and I was worried sick, waiting up for him. When he finally came home, we had a terrible fight and he left again, to where, I don't know. Thinking I had to do something to stop him ruining his life, I had a talk with Ingrid and convinced her to take a job with a family in Denver. When Matthew found out, he was livid, and came straight home to confront me. We had a horrible row, in which he scathingly called me a spinster and told me I knew nothing about love – I countered by sneering at him that he wasn't a 'man', after which I promptly stomped out and slammed the door. **_

"Oh man, she really handled that, didn't she?" Sully chuckled softly, both of them a little surprised at this admission from their normally calm tempered ancestor.

_**How did things go so wrong? I realize it's been the hardest on Matthew, trying to see me as a mother figure, since he is the oldest of the three...and now I feel I've handled the entire thing badly...I've let Charlotte down. **_

Michaela sucked in a breath as intense feelings welled up inside. Tears came to her eyes as she met her husband's. "I know exactly how she felt. Early on, there were many times I thought the same thing after the children came to live with me..."

"Don't," Sully whispered, caressing the back of her head with one hand as he leaned to press a kiss to her lips. "You've done great with the kids...and _your_ Charlotte would tell you so if she could."

Michaela smiled gratefully and gazed up into her amazing husband's eyes. "Thank you, Sully," she whispered softly, his words soothing her as nothing else on earth ever could.

"You're welcome," he whispered back, and she smiled at him again before turning back to continue reading.

_**After talking to Sully, whom I intend to have it out with over this, Matthew has now embarked on a Cheyenne 'vision quest' to prove he's a man. As I write these words, he's out there, somewhere, exposed to the elements in a raging thunderstorm – so violent I had to turn back from searching for him. **_

"Oh my word! That would have been much worse than what I went through during the hail storm when Matthew and Ingrid were missing..." Michaela breathed. "She must have been beside herself with worry and anxiety." Sully nodded in agreement.

_Another entry two days later..._

_**After my last entry the night of the storm, I went to the reservation and confronted Sully, but he refused to tell me where Matthew was! So I went in search of him myself. I found him...sitting out in the open, bare-chested, confident...and looking so much more a man than he had the last time I saw him, when we had fought so bitterly...that I just couldn't interrupt. So, silently, I retraced my steps and returned home. **_

_**I've come to realize...the Reverend was right...my son and the girl he loves could run away and get married – and the marriage won't stand much chance of succeeding without my blessing. So, I've decided that I need to take the advice of others, namely Sully and the Reverend, and give Matthew and Ingrid my blessing...that is...if they still value my opinion at all...**_

Michaela paused and looked into her husband's eyes.

"Don't think that," he immediately cautioned, as always, reading her thoughts. "Our Matthew's not gonna tell us he's gettin' married at sixteen. He's more level-headed than that," he assured calmly. "Go on...does she say any more about it?"

_Written the next day..._

_**Tears fill my eyes as I write this entry. Sully was so right...and I was so wrong in this instance. He told me you can only 'guide' people so far... Matthew did, indeed, 'find' himself during his vision quest. He came home to us calm, self-assured, and telling of the amazing trials he weathered during the quest. How he saw a herd of stampeding horses heading right toward him...but he closed his eyes and saw MY face...our faces... and he realized all that mattered was those that you love...family. That he could feel our love coming to him, and it gave him the strength to stand his ground.**_

_**Brian asked if he and Ingrid were still getting married, and Matthew calmly shared their plans of working and saving to build a house while they waited, engaged. He looked at me with such hope, even longing, as if my opinion and approval of his plans mattered very much. Striving to hold back tears of relief, love, and gratitude, I knew what I needed to do to show him that I did, indeed, approve. I gave him my engagement ring...the one David had placed on my finger all those years ago. Matthew took it reverently, eagerly turning and slipping it onto Ingrid's hand. Then he turned back to me to thank me...and called me...Ma. As I took him in my arms, I thought my heart would burst with love and pride. And I hoped that, somehow, Charlotte was pleased...**_

Allowing the beloved journal to slowly fall back on Sully's lap, Michaela stared straight ahead, in awe of the intense emotions their ancestor's words had inspired.

Sully took her hand, raising it to his lips as he whispered, "I think the lesson here is...we gotta know when to back off and when to stand strong. And trust that our son will make wise choices, because we've raised him right and tried to be good examples."

Michaela nodded and breathed in a calming sigh as Sully turned to place the treasured book back on his nightstand. As they both began to move back down in the bed to sleep, she suddenly stopped with a gasp, pressing one hand quickly against her abdomen.

"What? You okay?" Sully asked concernedly, watching as her face transformed from concern to wonder.

Turning to him, she whispered in awe, "I...I think I just felt the baby move..."

Sully's face spread into a huge grin as he gently lay his hand next to hers, hoping to feel it as well. But of course, it was as yet too faint to be felt from the outside.

As they settled back down to sleep, Michaela whispered softly, "Perhaps our baby was letting us know he thinks his father is a wise man."

Sully smiled in the darkness and pressed a kiss to her forehead as he spooned against her back, one hand lovingly cupping their child, whispering, "Or _she_."

"Yes...or she," Michaela agreed with a smile. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Night, mé'oo'o."

OOOOOOOOO

Between working on the room, spending time at Robert E.'s, and Michaela having a steady stream of patients, the days passed, and suddenly it was Thursday, December twenty-third, time to put their luggage in the SUV for the ride to the airport to catch their six-hour flight to Boston.

It was hectic around the homestead as each person strove to remember everything they might need while they were away from home, the kids dashing in and out of their rooms and stuffing 'just one more thing' in their suitcases.

Ingrid had talked her mother into bringing her over to the house to bid Matthew goodbye – her mother, and Michaela and Sully talked quietly, trying to give the young people a little privacy as they said their farewells. Then, as the Escalade was finally loaded and the family climbed inside, Ingrid and Matthew held each other, devastated at the inevitability of separation. Ingrid began to cry, but Matthew steeled himself, kissed her, and climbed inside the vehicle with his family.

The thought occurred to the young man that this was opposite from how he felt when he had first arrived in Colorado Springs. Back then, he would have jumped at the chance to board a plane and fly back 'home'. But now...Colorado Springs was home...and Ingrid was his heart.

Promising to call frequently, Matthew waved solemnly to the sweet blonde who occupied his every waking thought as Sully drove the SUV down the driveway and onto Hanover for the week-long trip, planning to leave the vehicle parked at the airport so they wouldn't have to bother any of their friends or pay for a taxi on their return.

Experiencing no trouble passing through the security check points or checking their bags, the family boarded the plane and took their seats, anxious for the flights to be over and get to Boston to see their loved ones. They couldn't ask for a better day to travel – clear skies, no wind, and comfortable seats, as Robert had booked them into first class.

Before they knew it, they were landing in Chicago for their connecting flight, and passing the ninety-minute layover in Johnny Rockets. Feasting on hamburgers and sodas, they giggled and chuckled at the silly antics of the servers, line dancing to Michael Jackson's _Thriller_. One of the servers coaxed Sully into the fray, the kids egging him on, they and Michaela in stitches over his attempts at the 'zombie' movements. For posterity, and a way to tease his beloved father, Matthew managed to sneak a few moments of video of this rare display.

Later, Sully chuckled good naturedly at Michaela for asking everyone one by one, "Are you going to finish that?" hoping they would say no, so she could scarf one more bite, trying to fill what had become, as Sully lovingly put it, her 'bottomless pit.' He had to bat her hands away to keep her from sneaking part of _his_ burger, to the amused guffaws of the kids.

Hoping their bags had made the connecting plane, the family trouped onto US Air's flight 6366 for the second leg of their journey.

OOOOOOOOO

"There they are! Michaela! Sully!" Marjorie called, waving to her sister and family as they came down the concourse at 10:55 that night. Their flight had been held back from landing for over forty minutes due to the holiday traffic and confusing signals. As a result, it was a very tired six Sullys who emerged from the crowd of disembarking passengers and sailed into the waiting arms of their Boston family.

"Oh, I'm so glad to be on the ground," Michaela sighed, moving from Marjorie's arms to Rebecca's.

"Rough flight?" Rebecca asked sympathetically as she rubbed her sister's back in a warm hug as Robert shook Sully's hand before pulling him into a friendly 'man hug'.

Pulling back and managing a smile, Michaela shook her head. "No, actually the flights were quite satisfactory, until we neared Boston and were put on hold while they straightened out some sort of mess down here. The last hour seemed to crawl by," she added, her eyes anxiously searching out the nearest ladies' room.

Sully astutely observed his wife's needs and suggested she and the girls make a pit stop while the 'boys' went to retrieve the family's luggage. Michaela flashed him a smile and leaned to give him a smooch as the two groups parted, Brian dragging his feet tiredly and lagging behind the men until Robert reached down and scooped his nephew up in understanding sympathy.

Michaela practically ran the last few yards to the ladies' room, very glad for unoccupied stalls as the others filed in behind, each of the girls talking excitedly to their aunts about school, boys, and what they hoped to receive for Christmas.

As Michaela emerged from the stall, coat in hand, Rebecca approached with a wide grin. "Look at you! Oh, even though I've seen you on the webcam, it just didn't seem real! My little sister, pregnant at last," she teased, reaching out to touch Michaela's now obviously pregnant belly.

"At this point, I don't feel so little, dear sister," she lamented teasingly, placing her hands on her lower back in the classic 'pregnant woman's stance', stretching muscles that were tired from sitting locked in an airplane seat.

Hannah laughed and contributed teasingly, "And Dad says the way she's eating, she'll be big as the barn by May."

"Oh he _did_, did he?" Marjorie asked with playful sarcasm. "If men only knew what we women go through to have their babies."

"Oh Sully knows," Michaela couldn't resist sharing. "He's convinced he's suffering from Couvade Syndrome."

"You mean, _Sympathetic __Pregnancy?_" Rebecca replied, placing a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Michaela nodded with a grin. "Oh, it's not funny to him. He says he's experienced morning sickness and food cravings. He's gained five pounds already."

Marjorie laughed as the girls looked to each other and shrugged, the unfamiliar malady meaning nothing. "Leave it to you two lovebirds to 'share' everything. You make me sick," she added with teasing jealousy. "Eric merely yawned when I tried to tell him of my miseries during both pregnancies."

"Yes, but he was a bundle of nerves, pacing and fretting during both deliveries, if I recall," Rebecca injected, as always, the one to point out the positive in every situation.

"True," Marjorie agreed with an affirming grin.

"Well, between us girls...I think Sully is afraid he will experience labor pains as well," Michaela confided as another woman passenger exited a stall and walked toward the sinks where they had gathered.

"Are you talking about Couvade Syndrome? Oh let me tell you, my husband had it bad, so bad in fact..." she immediately dove in, relating personal details that had the other ladies chuckling with both sympathy for the poor man and dread for poor Sully.

They were still chuckling when they emerged from the restroom and reunited with the males, who were curious as to the reason for their mirth. All they could do was look at each other and shrug, however, when the females clamped their lips and remained mute to the private joke.

OOOOOOOOO

"Wow! Thanks Grandma!" Hannah exclaimed as she opened yet another Christmas gift two mornings later. The others in the large room, adults and children alike, glanced at her with large smiles as they tore at the wrapping covering their own gifts.

"You are quite welcome, Hannah," Elizabeth responded with satisfaction as she relaxed against a high backed chair in the parlor of her opulent, gorgeous antique-adorned Beacon Hill home. "I'm glad I chose well this year," she added with a grin at her youngest daughter as Michaela flashed her a grateful smile.

"She's been wanting to do that ever since a girl at school was given a certificate for her birthday," the pleased mother commented.

"I got one, too!" Colleen squealed above the merriment as she opened her matching gift.

"Me, too!" squealed Maria, aged ten, Claudette's only daughter, followed by yet another excited yell from Marjorie's oldest, Brittany, who had just turned nine. Maureen and her husband, Richard, looked on with amused smiles.

"What's got ya all so excited?" Sully queried as he worked on the paper concealing one of his own gifts.

"They are gift certificates to a company called, 'Fashion Playtes'," Elizabeth spoke up in answer to Sully's question, "Which offers young girls a chance to design their own clothing. The girls can create their own designs online and have them shipped to their door. I'm told it's the latest craze," she added demurely.

"What'll they think of next?" he wondered as he opened his gift, a bottle of expensive men's cologne. "Thanks, Rebecca," he called, holding up the item with a grin in acknowledgement for the perfunctory snapshot, taken by one of the brothers-in-law.

"You're welcome, Sully," Rebecca called out before turning to another family member to acknowledge one of her own gifts.

"Terre D'Hermes," Michaela murmured, reaching over and taking the bottle from him, taking off the cap and breathing in the woodsy, earthy fragrance. With twinkling eyes, she murmured, "Mmm, it smells divine, and very..._you_," she added in a flirtatious whisper as she reached to give his neck a squirt of the expensive scent.

"Hey...not too much," he characteristically fussed, bringing up a hand to gently push hers away as she moved to give him a second spray. "I don't wanna smell like a _dandy_," he added with a grin, unable to resist leaning in to give his gorgeous wife a kiss...or two...or three, as the other occupants in the room momentarily faded away.

Michaela leaned to his ear and whispered, "You'll have to wear this to bed tonight," pulling back and giving him a saucy grin.

"That right? And what will I get if I do?" he whispered back, thoroughly enjoying their banter.

"What do _you_ think?" she quipped with a wink, delighted with his answering chuckle.

"A midnight snack?" he teased.

"You could call it that," she whispered flirtatiously, though glancing around to make sure they hadn't become the center of attention.

Elizabeth smiled as she glimpsed her youngest daughter lovingly interacting with her husband, thinking once again what a wise and providential choice it had been for Michaela to leave home and make a life for herself across the country. Shaking her head gently, she silently admitted she was glad, for once, that one of her children had disregarded her advice.

Leaning forward, her eyes scanning her children and grandchildren as she 'held court' as the matron of the family, she thought for a moment about her own husband, Josef, and how much she still missed him. She knew he would have adored Sully.

Just then, Colleen gave a surprised gasp as she opened another gift from her grandmother – a matching silver-handled brush and mirror set. With tears in her eyes, the young girl climbed to her feet and crossed over her cousins to reach the woman sitting in the corner. Laying into her arms in a full hug, she whispered, "Thank you, Grandma. They look just like yours."

Elizabeth smiled and closed her eyes, patting her pretty blond granddaughter on the back, as she pressed a kiss to her temple. "They are very much like mine. The engravings on the backs are just a little different," she responded. "You've always admired mine so much, I thought perhaps you were old enough now to appreciate – and care for - a set of your own."

Pulling back, Colleen wiped a tear and leaned in to kiss her grandmother on the cheek. "I'll cherish them always," she murmured softly.

"Wow cool!" Brian squealed as he opened one of his gifts, holding the model airplane kit up for everyone to see, his male cousins following suit as they held up similar gifts.

"Look, Matthew!" Brian exclaimed, eliciting a distracted, "Yeah, cool, little brother," as he sat at the end of the couch, quickly finishing a text to Ingrid and juggling gifts in his lap. He had hardly been off the phone in the two days the family had been in Boston, but his mother had put her foot down during 'family time', so he compromised with a quick text back and forth.

His parents glanced over at him, and then at each other, rolling their eyes with knowing grins and matching shrugs. About to ask her son what he could possibly have to talk about for so many hours, Michaela stopped short, remembering her and Sully's marathon conversations when she herself had come to Boston to testify on William's behalf several months prior.

Hannah looked up, watching the exchange between her sister and their grandmother, suddenly feeling rather like the 'red headed step-child' as Colleen seemed to be receiving 'real grandchild' attention. The noise of the room seemed to fade from her awareness as she gazed, her happiness of moments before all but evaporating.

Sully noticed, and glanced at his wife uncomfortably, the pair wondering how to head off at the pass any possible hurt for their daughter. Michaela was a little surprised that her mother would single out one of the girls this way, and she made a mental note to speak to her about it later in private.

Just then, Hannah rose from the floor, stepping gingerly over discarded wrapping paper, boxes, ribbons, bows, and the legs of her male and female cousins, and made her way to her grandmother's side.

Wistfully, she watched the two hug again, reaching out to gently caress with a finger the silver edge of the new mirror Colleen clutched in her hands.

"Wow Colleen...they're beautiful," she murmured softly, battling within to tamp down an emerging green-eyed monster. __Colleen's been her granddaughter a lot longer than me...I've never even seen Grandma's brush and mirror_ __..._ she reasoned with herself, striving to be 'grown up' in the face of what felt like a slight.

Colleen pulled back from her grandmother's embrace and glanced at her sister. Immediately noticing the subdued look in her beautiful Sully-blue eyes, Colleen instantly felt guilt over her special gift, and sympathy for her sister as she imagined how she herself would feel. The girl racked her brain for what to do, turning her head helplessly to look for guidance from her parents, and met her mother's concerned eyes.

Slowly, the room that had been filled with happy chatter began to quiet as one by one the others looked over and realized what was happening – each adult glancing from one to another as they tried to come up with an antidote, no one wishing to see sweet sensitive Hannah be hurt.

Noticing a change in the atmosphere, Elizabeth looked up and glanced around the room with knitted brows, her eyes meeting Sully's disapproving ones, Michaela's confused ones, Rebecca's uncomfortable ones, and finally Hannah's sad ones – instantly realizing the train of everyone's thoughts.

She swallowed uncomfortably and berated herself for not keeping up with the proceedings better. Reaching out a hand, she gently grasped one of Hannah's, giving it a loving little tug as she murmured, "Hannah..."

The young girl looked up at her grandmother, truly striving to hold on and not act like a spoiled child, unconsciously biting down on her lower lip to keep it from quivering as her eyes tried to fill with tell tale tears.

"I do believe, dear, there is another gift under the tree that has your name on it..." her loving grandmother murmured, smiling as the child's eyes lit up in understanding.

"There is?" Hannah breathed in awe, turning and making her way quickly to the large, beautifully decorated tree in the corner of the parlor. Sure enough, there was one gift left under there – and it bore her name.

Sully quickly exchanged glances with Michaela as Hannah fell to her knees, ripping the paper off and finding a nearly identical brush and mirror, the only difference being the designs on the backs and handles. Clasping them to her chest, she stood and turned, a little ashamed that she had nearly overreacted, and made her way again to her grandmother's side.

"Oh Grandma...I'm sorry I thought...thank you so much – they're beautiful," she managed, sniffling softly as she smiled in pure joy up into Elizabeth's loving blue eyes.

Elizabeth smiled in relief, lifting a hand to lovingly cup Hannah's chin as she murmured, "I couldn't forget my second namesake, now could I?" as she opened her arms for Hannah to enter, referring of course to the fact that both Colleen and Hannah's middle names were _Elizabeth._

The room seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief as Elizabeth once again met Sully's and Michaela's eyes – this time relieved and pleased. __Thank God for wisdom, foresight – and a crisis averted!_ _Each one silently rejoiced.

Just then, Michaela's fingers successfully removed the paper from one of her gifts, this one from Marjorie. Opening the box and moving aside the tissue paper, she pulled out a stylish maternity top done in purples and blues. Turning the shirt over, she chuckled out loud as she read the front, glancing up into Sully's amused eyes.

Turning the shirt around for the room to see in response to Robert's request, he read aloud, 'Wife and Baby of Sully..._BACK__OFF!__' _Everyone laughed merrily as Michaela blushed, and Sully tipped his head back and laughed in pride and pleasure, lifting a hand to smooth a lock of his hair back from his face.

"Well," Robert commented, "I'd say that pretty much sums it up...and trumps my gift..." he grinned as he handed his sister-in-law a wrapped box.

Opening the present, Michaela grinned and hugged it to her chest before unfurling and showing everyone in the room a Boston Red Sox jersey with "Sully #7" on the back and on the front, a large arrow pointing down, above which were the words, "Short Stop."

Seeing that now was the perfect time, Sully grinned happily, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth as he reached under the couch and produced a gift. Handing it to his wife, he encouraged, "Go on...open it."

Michaela grinned at her husband and eagerly slid her fingers underneath the tape holding the edges closed, and tipped the box open. Inside was a lovely pink t-shirt, emblazoned with the words, "I'm not fat – I'm pregnant," on the front. Grinning at her husband's sweet gesture of something he had told her many times since she had become pregnant, Michaela held it up to read the words, surprised when the adults in the room burst out laughing.

Sully merely grinned, leaning to give high-fives to Matthew and Hannah as Michaela, in confusion, turned the shirt over.

There on the back under a drawing of a cow, were the words, "No, I'm NOT sleeping in the barn!"

"_She_ might not, but I'd say _you__'__re_ in the dog house tonight, bud!" someone offered amid guffaws as the room once again erupted in laughter and good-natured teasing.

Sully laughed out loud and exaggeratedly covered his head with his arms as Michaela gently lashed at him with the 'offending' item.

Smilingly watching the antics of her large family enjoying the holiday together, Elizabeth sat back in her chair and said a silent prayer of thanks for God's blessings and the joy radiating in the room.

With a sigh, she nodded contentedly. They were blessed indeed.


	12. Passion and The Gala

**CHAPTER 12 – Passion and The Gala  
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_AN: I used a real location in this chapter that I thought particularly interesting. The Liberty Hotel in downtown Boston. If you want, go to libertyhotel . com and read some of its history. _

...

"I talked to William earlier today," Michaela murmured, nestled snugly with her husband in the large canopy bed in one her mother's spare bedrooms, the girls down the hall occupying Michaela's childhood room.

Sully snickered softly.

"What?" Michaela asked, leaning back to try and see his face in the moonlight from the window.

"Nothin'," he murmured, squeezing her to him more and softly caressing her shoulder. Glancing at her face, he saw the curiosity, and elaborated, "It just struck me kinda funny...layin' here with your husband, you talk about another man."

"Oh," Michaela replied sheepishly, seeing his point. "Well...if you didn't _know_ William, it would be different...plus the fact that he is very happily married – to a very pregnant wife," she added with a grin.

"Yeah, true," he conceded, smiling as he felt his wife adjust her own somewhat burgeoning belly against his side. "How's Connie doin'? She's about seven months now, right?"

"Yes, and she's fine," she assured. "He said they had been concerned that she wasn't gaining enough, but in the past three weeks she has more than made up for it. It seems a sudden craving for New York Cheesecake kicked in," she added with a chuckle, thinking of her own cravings.

Sully chuckled softly, remembering his wife's apple pie/pickle fetish. "Yeah, and what does she have with it..._sardines_?" he murmured teasingly, laughing when Michaela smacked at his chest gently, albeit chuckling herself in response.

"That's not _funny_..." she fussed amid giggles, trying to reach a spot on his side she knew to be particularly ticklish.

"Why you laughin', then?" he countered with a snicker, grasping her hand and pressing it against his chest, effectively stopping her from reaching any of his ticklish spots. Turning toward her, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She immediately stilled – and reacted to his touch – opening to him and melting into his embrace. Having refrained from 'being together' the first two nights in Boston – the first night due to fatigue and the second due to staying up late for the traditional family reading of _A__ Christmas__ Carol_ – both felt more than hungry for romance and marital fulfillment.

After several minutes of deep, passionate kissing, each threading their fingers through the soft waves of the other's hair, Sully moved his lips to her cheek and ear, nuzzling her neck as she did the same.

"Mmm, I love your new cologne," she purred, breathing deeply of the heavenly scent he had applied after his shower, in teasing compliance of her earlier request.

"I love _yours_," he whispered, as one hand wandered down to her body's various sensitive spots, pausing to lovingly caress the roundness of her belly where his child grew.

"I'm not wearing cologne," she murmured breathlessly, arching her head back as he kissed his way down her neck.

He paused a second and grinned in the darkness, before continuing his explorations with a whispered, "I _know_...but ya always smell so good...you drive me wild just thinkin' about ya," he confessed as he found her mouth again.

The world seemed to spin with heady excitement, each one melting and responding to the other's beloved touch – truly, each time for the lovers was just as thrilling as the first, and they never tired of their togetherness.

Delighting in her husband's delicious lips, Michaela gave herself over to his ministrations, realizing how much she had missed the feel of his body under her gently roaming hands. "Oh Sully...it seems so long since we made love," she whispered with a soft moan as she arched into him in mind blowing enticement.

"Sure does," he whispered amid kisses as he quickly freed her of her nightclothes, gently squeezing and caressing her curves as the passion mounted. "Mmm, Michaela...I love ya so much," he moaned. Kissing her deeply once again, an idea formed in his mind, and he paused breathlessly.

"Sweetheart...turn on your side with your back ta me," he murmured against her mouth as he slid one hand down to her hip to encourage her compliance. "When ya get bigger, we're gonna have to use other... positions," he whispered, lovingly arranging her smooth silky body against the roughness of his bare chest and thighs. "Thought we'd try and perfect one tonight," he added in a sexy murmur as he lovingly drew her earlobe into his mouth, causing her breath to catch and her heart to speed up in wild anticipation.

"Sounds like a plan," she murmured breathlessly, responding to his expert direction.

Smoothing aside the silken curtain of her hair, he pressed kisses to her velvety smooth back and neck, sweetly murmuring of the depth of his devotion as he expertly readied her body for loving. She obeyed eagerly as he whispered further instructions, preparing to join them as one.

Moaning in pleasure as he slowly joined their bodies, she reveled in his sigh of bliss as he began to move, while lovingly caressing her in ways and in places he knew she craved.

Their lovemaking burned hotter and stronger with each movement and intimate caress until each reached their own peak of satisfaction, somehow remembering to stifle any boisterous exclamations.

Unable to stop herself, Michaela gasped a soft, "Oh Sully!" just before she plunged over the edge of no return, her husband joining her quickly with his own sweet victory as he gripped her to him tightly and buried his face in her soft, fragrant hair, growling in sheer ecstasy.

When it was over, they lay pressed together, languidly sated and deliciously tired, his arms around her in a loving embrace as her head rested on his arm. Sully thought his heart would beat out of his chest with exertion and love for his beautiful wife.

"God I love you, Michaela!" he whispered fiercely, one arm holding her firmly around her upper chest, pressing her into the curve of his body as if he wanted to absorb her into his very being. The other hand, which he had used to exponentially increase her pleasure, moved higher to lovingly cup their child. "How is it that every time with you is even better than the last?" he complimented softly, pressing a kiss to her ear and nuzzling her hair as he waited for his heart rate to return to normal.

"I don't know," she whispered breathlessly, reaching a hand back to caress his smooth cheek. "But I couldn't agree more."

When finally he could maintain their connection no longer, he lovingly turned her to her back and placed himself fully in her arms, hovering his weight courteously above the firm pooch of her belly.

"I love you so much...you're so beautiful...so sexy...so wonderful," he breathed, his cheek pressed to hers, nuzzling gently as he whispered reverently in her ear. "I'll never get enough of you – you're in my _blood_, woman," he declared with much feeling and sincerity.

Tears immediately sprang to her eyes, and she took in a shuddering breath, murmuring, "Sully..."

He pulled back and braced his upper body with his elbows, gazing lovingly down into her face as one hand smoothed damp strands of her hair from her forehead and cheek. He shook his head in wonder, tears trying to blur his sight as he murmured, "I need you so much, 'Chaela, just to _exist_...if I lost you...my heart would _burst_ and I'd... just bleed to death..."

"Oh Sully," she breathed as a tear slipped from one eye and trickled down her temple into her hair. Gazing up at him, the moonlight caressing his hair with a soft ethereal glow, she reached up and reverently caressed his lips with a thumb.

"I need _you_ just as much..." she vowed. "I can't imagine living even one _day_ without you. Truly...half of me would be ripped away if something took you from me...leaving behind nothing but...jagged remnants of my soul."

He smiled lovingly and nodded in perfect accord, pressing a sweet kiss to her fingers. "I _love_ you..."

"I love _you_," she whispered fiercely.

After several moments of just gazing into each other's eyes, Sully leaned down and they sealed their vows with a reverent kiss, then he moved to her side and gathered her into his arms, each still reeling from the depths of emotion they had just experienced.

"You say such beautiful things to me, sweetheart," Michaela murmured softly, her eyes closed, nestled comfortably in his arms. "You are the most romantic man in the world...and I am the luckiest _woman_ in the world."

"Thank you," he whispered with a dimpled grin.

Breathing in her husband's wonderful scent again in total satisfaction as he pressed a kiss to her temple, she whispered, "How did you learn to be so romantic?"

He smiled, idly caressing the long, soft locks of her hair, as he murmured, "I don't know really...it just flows outta me when I'm with ya. Just bein' in your arms makes me wanna confess my deepest feelins' to ya." Chuckling self-deprecatingly, he added, "I can't hold nothin' back – I sure couldn't lie to ya."

She smiled against his neck, pressing a kiss to the warm skin there as she whispered, "Nor I to you."

"That's good to know," he murmured softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead as each fleetingly thought about the miseries and deceptions of their previous marriages.

Several quiet minutes went by, Michaela's thoughts floating around her husband and romance, when she thought of something she had wanted to ask him. Gathering her spunk, she queried, "Sully...remember when you told me about you and Harv talking all night?"

"Mmm hmm."

"What things did you...discuss...about romance?" she finally murmured, drawing her lip between her teeth as she waited to see what he would say.

He smiled, and then chuckled. Thinking back, he drawled, "Weellllll...let's see...I told him how much you love flowers, especially red roses, and how your eyes light up when I surprise ya with one..." he began, ticking items off in his mind. "I told him...how I surprise ya with things like dancin' with ya down in the living room late at night...or bringin' ya your favorite snack in bed...or cleanin' the Escalade for ya and fillin' it with gas so you don't have to...or tellin' ya all the time how much ya mean to me...stuff like that."

"Oh...and what did he say?" she asked with a grin.

Sully laughed and drew in a breath. "At first, he said, 'Women like stuff like that?' But as I went on, and told him how you react to different things, he started nodding his head, like he was filin' the information away. And I guess he was," he added with pride and pleasure.

"Mmm, yes he _was_. And may I say...the look on Ellen's face when she told me about her 'new' husband made the miserable night worth it. However, I don't _ever_ want to go through _that_ again!" she added fervently.

"Me neither, sweetheart. Me neither," he stated emphatically.

With that, they settled down to sleep, each totally grateful for a warm bed and each other's arms in which to sleep.

"Merry Christmas, mé'oo'o," he murmured.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart. Né-méhotatséme," she added with a grin.

He smiled in the darkness, pressing his lips against her hair, her use of the Cheyenne endearment never failing to warm his heart.

"I love you, too."

OOOOOOOOO

"Oh, come on, Michaela. It'll be fun!" Rebecca encouraged over breakfast the next morning. Living just over on the next street and wishing to spend more time with their extended family, they had popped over early. "The Halman's After Christmas Gala is always enjoyable...and you'll get to see old friends you haven't seen in a while..."

"Well..." Michaela hesitated, unsure of how Sully would respond to the idea.

"Just think... people will be there who know David...this is a chance to show Sully off to them," her sister added with a mischievous twinkle.

Just then, the topic of that remark descended the last of the stairs and grinned at his wife as he entered the formal dining room, dressed in a nice fitting pair of jeans and a warm Colorado Rockies sweatshirt.

Leaning over to press a kiss to his wife's willing lips, he murmured, "I missed you when I woke up..."

She smiled and kissed him again, reaching up a hand to caress his cheek as their eyes met in silent communication, visions and sensations from their lovemaking the previous night rushing to the forefront of their minds.

"I had to get up early to...well, you know...and I realized I was hungry, so I came on down to the kitchen to see what I could scrounge. You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you," she added lovingly.

Pursing his lips in that cute pout that always melted her heart, he murmured, "Well, okay...I'll forgive you..._this_ time," before he leaned in for another kiss, this one lasting much longer than the first two and kindling feelings they had shared together the night before. Rebecca and Robert exchanged an amused glance.

"All right you two, get a room," Marjorie's voice suddenly interrupted, causing them to break apart guiltily and turn their heads toward the doorway, only to see her face wearing an amused smile. No one had heard the front door open and close. Laughing, she added, "Oh yeah...you _do_ have a room."

"Marjorie," Michaela fussed, smoothing her hair back from her slightly pink face as Sully chuckled, seating himself beside her.

"Sully, we were just discussing the Halman's After Christmas Gala and wondered if you would be game to attend..." Rebecca ventured, glancing quickly at Michaela before settling her eyes on Sully. "This year, they are hosting it in the ballroom at the Liberty Hotel," she added with a grin.

"The Liberty?" Michaela questioned, familiar with the story of the hotel, which had once been the Charles Street Jail. "I've wanted to see how they accomplished such a feat of remodeling genius."

"Why are they havin' it the night after Christmas...instead of New Year's Eve...?" Sully asked casually, placing a helping of scrambled eggs onto his plate.

Rebecca grinned, familiar enough with her brother-in-law now to know he was not totally adverse to the idea. "Because the Halmans have always had a tradition of 'bucking' the norm. I think one reason being they can have their pick of caterers, since they are all booked up on the two holidays," she added with a chuckle.

Looking toward his wife and catching the hopeful expression in those beautiful mismatched eyes that always melted his heart with one glance, Sully switched his eyes to his sister-in-law. "Formal?" he asked with dread.

"Oh no, not black tie. Just...semi, I guess you could say."

"I didn't bring a suit..."

"You can wear one of mine," Robert chipped in helpfully, in truth hoping Sully would say yes so that he would have someone 'real' to talk to at the gathering. Since he had won all those millions in the Massachusetts Lottery, he was never sure who wanted to be friends and who really just had an ulterior motive - some new invention for him to invest in, some 'relative' that needed help, some questionable 'worthy' cause to support.

Sully cast a sideways glance at his much taller brother-in-law, his eyes twinkling with merriment as he made a puffing sound with his lips. "Yeah, right!"

"Mother can have Martha temporarily hem the trousers up for you..." Rebecca offered gently.

"Who's Martha?" Brian wondered, before digging into his stack of blueberry pancakes he had just carefully carried in from the kitchen.

"The seamstress Mother pays to do all of her alterations," Michaela automatically answered. She glanced over at Sully, hoping he would agree. The thought of attending a Boston gala with her incredibly handsome husband had sparked her interest. In truth, a tiny grain of spite somewhere deep down had taken root, based on the idea that somehow her ex would hear about it. A thought crossed her mind and she glanced at her brother-in-law.

"Robert..._he_ wouldn't..."

Immediately catching her meaning, Robert shook his head, assuring, "I saw the guest list a week ago, Michaela. _He_ wasn't on it."

Smiling in relief, and catching her sister's amused eye, she turned to her husband.

"Sully...would you like to go?" she asked softly, leaning toward him and reaching to cover his hand with one of hers.

He looked into her eyes, his switching back and forth between hers as he searched her thoughts. He could easily see she wanted to go, and being unable and unwilling to deny her anything within his power to grant, he allowed his mouth to curve into a half smile, the kind that made his dimples more pronounced.

Taking in a deep breath, he shrugged and emitted a characteristic, "Sure."

OOOOOOOOO

"Wow Mom, you look beautiful!" Hannah breathed as Michaela descended the wide, elegant stairway of her childhood home that night, holding securely to her dashing husband's jacketed arm.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she murmured, hugging both her daughters as she reached the bottom, and glancing into Sully's appreciative eyes. He gave her a wink, having told her the same thing multiple times as they were getting ready for their night on the town.

Her hair, upswept on one side and held in place by a diamond studded comb, borrowed from Elizabeth, fell past the middle of her back in tight curls, making her appear even more vibrant and alive than she normally did. A diamond necklace hung around her neck, her charm bracelet adored her left wrist, and long dangling diamond earrings fell gently from her ears. She exuded the very essence of style, vitality, and happiness, with an underlying sensuality that drew men's gazes like moths to a flame.

"Michaela, you look divine," Elizabeth complimented. "Red has always been your color I think...and is highlighted by the becoming 'glow' in your countenance," she added lovingly as she gazed at her stunning daughter.

Michaela smiled happily and glanced down at the simple, yet classy v-neck maternity dress made of a stretchy, vibrant fabric, and sporting an empire waist with front tie sash and long form-fitting sleeves. The elegant creation becomingly allowed room for the slight swell of her now burgeoning belly, and reached to the floor, just hiding the matching red low-heeled 'ballroom' shoes Rebecca had lent to her for the night. Michaela felt, once again, like a princess being escorted to a ball.

"Thank you, Mother," she murmured, leaning to give Elizabeth a warm hug. 'I'd forgotten how much I enjoy dressing up this way," she added, casting a teasing glance at her husband. He merely smiled, though he was thinking he'd much rather see her _undressed_ than dressed up.

"Oh Michaela, that dress looks wonderful on you," Rebecca complimented, reaching out to give her sister a quick hug. "I'm certainly glad it's come in handy. I only wore it once, when I was pregnant with Charise."

"And _Sully_..." Elizabeth added, directing her gaze to her attractive son-in-law, "May I say, that suit looks even better on _you_ than it does on Robert."

Her virile rancher son-in-law flashed a dimpled smile. Inclining his head with a soft, "Thank you," he adjusted the silver diamond-studded cuff links adorning the cuffs of the white shirt peeking out from the sleeves of the black, two-button, satin lapelled jacket, and tugged at the red silk tie knotted at his neck. In truth, with Sully's perfect physique, he looked exceptional in anything he wore, whether it was a tuxedo or a bath towel, but in characteristic humility he would never think of himself in those terms.

Michaela gently batted his hands away, softly fussing, "Sully, stop. It's perfect...leave it alone."

"It bugs me," he grumbled softly, hating to wear neckties, but he smiled into her eyes when she finished straightening the tie yet again, and stretched up to brush his lips with hers.

"Dad...you look like you're getting married again," Hannah murmured, gazing at her handsome father as he ran his hand back through his collar-length hair, its honey-brown hues contrasting wonderfully with the true black of the jacket.

"No way, sweet girl," he immediately countered, turning to take his lovely wife in his arms with a dimpled grin. "When I married your mom, it was for _life_. No need for another weddin'," he added as he leaned in to give his wife a soft, lingering kiss.

"Aww stop it, Mr. Romance – you're making me look bad," Robert teased, taking his own wife in his arms for an amorous kiss as the children chuckled.

"All right, enough of that you four," Elizabeth fussed good-naturedly, turning to open the door and shoo the two couples out into the cold December evening.

Sully picked up the mink stole Elizabeth had loaned her daughter and wrapped it around his wife before taking her hand and placing it in the crook of his arm as he flashed her his most charming grin, every bit the dashing gentleman.

"'Night Elizabeth. Thanks for watchin' the kids," Sully told his mother-in-law sincerely, leaning to place a quick kiss on her cheek before following the other couple out the door. "Yes, thank you, Mother," her daughters added.

"You're most welcome," Elizabeth answered softly, smiling after them fondly, and watching as they made their way to Robert's pearl white Lexus.

"Have fun!" she called before hastily shutting the door against the cold breeze. If she had known what would take place in just a few hours, her words at that point might have been a little different...

OOOOOOOOO

All the way to the party, Michaela couldn't seem to take her eyes off of her magnificent escort, pressed warmly against her side in the back seat. With her right arm entwined with his left, fingers intertwined, she was close enough to luxuriate in the heady scent of the new cologne he had willingly submitted to wearing. She felt transported to another realm of excitement and anticipation. Smiling softly as she gazed at the passing scenery, she realized she had never looked so forward to attending a function like this...but with _Sully_...everything always seemed more exciting and wonderful.

Glancing his way again, she allowed her eyes to caress his form. Smiling dreamily, she mused that in the eighteen months she had known him, she had seen him dressed to the nines in tuxedos, dressed rugged in jeans and buckskin jacket, and everything in between, but something about the way he looked this night was making her heart race, and she felt as if she were falling in love with him all over again. _Does he know how incredibly handsome he is? It certainly doesn't seem like it...he seems so unaffected and natural – and not a bit self-absorbed or conceited. He could be a movie star with those looks of his..._ she ruminated, imagining for a moment her husband on the big screen. His gorgeous face and magnificent eyes magnified in living color for all the world to see...

Sully was having similar thoughts as he glanced quite frequently at his lovely wife while trying to concentrate on polite conversation with Rebecca and Robert in the front seats. _She looks so gorgeous in that red dress... stunning...downright radiant. Her hair is so beautiful...that smile so brilliant... I wonder if she knows how good lookin' she is...'cause she sure never acts like she does. Pretty women are a dime a dozen...Michaela's special... She's the sweetest, kindest, gentlest, most loving woman I've ever known...and she's all mine...she's even carryin' **my** baby..._ he mused, flashing her a roguish grin as her eyes met his once again, their expression dreamy. _I wonder what she's thinkin'..._

"Sully...you paying attention, man?" Robert teased, having noticed the couple in the back seat continue to gaze lovingly at each other the entire ride.

"What? Oh, yeah, Rob...sure," Sully responded, clearing his throat and unconsciously tugging on the knot at his neck as Michaela chuckled.

Robert laughed and shook his head. "You're an old married couple now, you know. You shouldn't be sitting there making eyes at each other like that," he teased, chuckling as his wife took a swat at him.

"Leave them alone. You could take some lessons from the man in the back," she added with a wink. She knew he knew she was teasing, for she and Robert had a wonderful marriage and were still very much in love.

"Ahem, yes, dear," he replied, winking at her in return.

"As I was saying, Sully," he continued, "The Liberty is an incredible innovation in the art of reusing old buildings for a new function. The place was built as the Charles Street Jail in the 1850's, and had fallen into such disrepair that it was almost condemned. It really was a brilliant concept to turn it into what is now New England's premier luxury hotel."

"That right?" Sully commented, finally listening to his brother-in-law's conversation.

"I think that's what I want to venture into..." Robert added thoughtfully. "The marrying of historic architecture with the high standards of refined, modern life. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that, Bro. After all, you performed a little of that yourself – marrying historic architecture with modern amenities – in your renovation of your ancestor's homestead, and especially the downstairs bathroom."

"Thanks Rob," Sully responded, quite touched by his brother-in-law's compliment. "I appreciate that. And yeah...I'm all for savin' historic buildings - some of 'em are such great craftsmanship, it's a shame to just tear 'em down."

The ladies echoed similar sentiments as Robert pulled the car up to their destination and relinquished the vehicle to an attentive valet.

Just inside the main doors, as Robert signed them in, Sully wandered for a moment to a plaque on a wall, reading aloud softly, _"Welcome to The Liberty. This 300-room hotel opened in September 2007 after a $150 million transformation of the mid-nineteenth-century Charles Street Jail. An exquisite Romanesque structure, it features exposed brick walls, wrought-iron chandeliers and an atrium that stretches 90 feet high. Among many winks and nods to the building's old days as a lockup, the first-floor bar is called Alibi. It's located in what was used to be the "drunk tank" of the jail."_

Slipping an arm around his lovely wife's waist and hugging her softly to his side, Sully murmured teasingly, "I hope this place don't bring back bad memories."

Michaela smiled, realizing he referred to the miserable night he had spent in the Denver jail at the end of their honeymoon. "Don't worry, you won't hear any rusty locks behind your back. And even if you did," she added cheekily, "I would merely organize an 1870's style prison break and get you out."

Sully glanced at his wife and gave her a wink as they both chuckled together at their private joke.

Moments later, they joined their sister and brother-in-law as they entered the hotel's central core on the way to the ballroom. Passing through the large area, all four couldn't help but gaze up, awed at what had been beautifully preserved of the old jail's central atrium. Exposed brick walls with a soaring ninety foot ceiling, original round windows with a circles within circles design that were situated high on the corners, and historic two-level catwalks, co-existed seamlessly with an assortment of modern seating areas, a large bar, and a central clear staircase leading down to a lower level. The floor was eye-catching, with its carpet of brown and tan geometric designs, and hanging above were huge antique wrought iron chandeliers. Ambient lighting throughout the room gave the large space a soft cozy glow.

Elegantly dressed party-goers were already mingling throughout the space and greeted the new comers with friendly interest, several remarking quietly together about the breathtaking woman in red, escorted by the handsome man in black, and wondered who they were.

The four entered a large elevator to ascend to the second level ballroom as Robert remarked, "Impressive blend of historic and modern, huh?"

"Sure is," Sully readily agreed, suitably impressed, the ladies agreeing.

Suddenly the doors opened to reveal a 3,000 square foot room, beautifully appointed with rich carpets done in purple and gold geometric patterns, floor to ceiling windows draped in deep purple, thirty-foot ceilings, and more of the huge antique wrought iron chandeliers. Soft soothing Jazz music emanated from a bandstand in the far corner.

The space momentarily took their breath away, but their host, Burton Halman, a large man with a burly mustache and bushy eyebrows, immediately coaxed them forward.

"Bob!" the man exclaimed, disengaging himself from the couple he had been greeting and making his way to them. Robert shook his hand warmly.

"Hello Burt. How are you?"

"Fine, fine," the other man returned with a grin, taking Rebecca's hand in his as he added, "It's so nice to see you, Rebecca."

"Thank you, Burt," she returned warmly, then turned toward her sister, adding, "You remember my sister, Michaela..."

Turning with a gleam in his eye as he gave Michaela the once-over, the older man remarked as he took her hand firmly in both of his, "Yes, I do. And may I say, you are looking ravishing this evening, my dear."

Michaela smiled politely, gently extracting her hand as she offered brightly, "Mr. Halman, I'd like you to meet my husband, Byron Sully."

"Mr. Sully. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

"It's a pleasure, sir," Sully returned politely, shaking his hand.

After some more small talk, during which Sully observed their host making multiple and very obvious glances at his wife, prompting him to move close to her side with an arm securely around her waist, the man finally drifted off to greet some new arrivals, leaving the four to their own devices.

Sully looked around surreptitiously, leaning to press a soft kiss to Michaela's cheek and whisper in her ear, "If that man woulda looked at you one more time like a wolf on the prowl, I swear I was gonna deck 'im."

She giggled softly, gazing up into his eyes lovingly. "I'm glad you restrained yourself. I would hate to be thrown out on our ears...and you never know...they may have kept one jail cell intact for unruly guests," she added teasingly.

He chuckled wryly, grinning his dimpled smile as he leaned to her ear again, whispering for her ears only, "But this time, I'd enjoy myself if you were with me..."

"Not half as much as _I_ would, I'd wager," she immediately returned, one eyebrow raised flirtatiously.

He laughed outright at that, lifting a finger and touching her chin as he whispered, "You'd _lose_ that bet," which left them both chuckling happily at their familiar private joke as they moved off in the direction of the refreshment table.

OOOOOOOOO

The foursome had been mingling and having a wonderful time for about an hour, during which Michaela introduced her new husband to quite a few old acquaintances, including old 'friends' of she and David's, when a vaguely familiar voice cut into Michaela and Rebecca's conversation with a third woman.

"Well...if it isn't Michaela Lewis."

Rebecca and the other woman noticed Michaela bristle slightly at the name, before she turned and came face to face with a former co-worker of her ex-husband's.

"Max. It's good to see you," she returned politely, not meaning a word of it as she had always considered the man an obnoxious jerk. "And it's Michaela _Sully_ now. _Dr._ Michaela Quinn-Sully. I resumed my practice."

The man's eyes widened for a brief second as he noticed a rather dashing man in an expensive black suit appear at her side, very obviously establishing 'ownership' of the lovely Michaela.

Michaela glanced lovingly at her husband. "I'd like you to meet my husband, Byron Sully," she offered. Sully dutifully reached forward to shake the other man's hand as Michaela went on, "Sully, this is Dr. Max Adler... a former co-worker of David's at Massachusetts General."

"Dr. Adler," Sully returned politely.

The other man quickly assessed the situation and the beauty staring confidently back at him. This was no longer the 'shrinking violet' Lewis had kept under his thumb. _So...she __flew __the __coop,__ huh? _He mused, his eyes rudely sweeping down her body._ And __pregnant__ to__ boot..._

Out loud he addressed Michaela, "So, what have you been up to...what's it been...three years since I left MG?"

"Yes...well obviously, David and I divorced," Michaela began, not wanting to give the insensitive boor any more information than she had to. "I took the children and moved out west...met Sully...and we were married seven months ago."

"Ah, that's wonderful," the man purred insincerely, hoping to pump her for information he could share around the water cooler in the doctor's lounge the next day. "And what..."

"Excuse us...but they seem to be playing our song," Sully interrupted, taking his wife by the arm and gently leading her out onto the dance floor as the man's mouth dropped open. Michaela smiled apologetically at him on the way by, floating into Sully's arms in absolute relief.

"Oh sweetheart, thank you," she whispered against his cheek as he maneuvered them into the mix of dancers.

"You're welcome," he answered softly, pressing his cheek against hers.

"I could never abide that man when he worked with David. He's a lecherous, womanizing, deceitful..._worm_ of a man. He tried to hit on me many times, but I always managed to squirm out of his reach. He disgusts me," she added with a shudder.

Sully maneuvered her around so that he could watch the man speaking politely to Rebecca and Robert, and then thankfully make his way on around the ballroom, pausing to make a call on his cell phone as he turned toward the dancers.

"He's gone," he quietly informed her, turning his attention back where it belonged - his lovely and fetching wife. For the next hour, the lovers thoroughly enjoyed themselves dancing, sampling hors d'oeuvres and desserts - with Sully teasing his wife that he would run out and fetch a dill pickle if she needed it - and talking with new friends and acquaintances.

Once again out on the dance floor, Michaela leaned back in her husband's arms, one hand fingering the soft wavy hair at his collar. Her two-tone eyes caressed his gorgeous features and sparkling blue eyes that were caressing _her_ features just as thoroughly.

Noticing the woman dancing next to them openly ogling Sully, she smiled a proud half grin. "Hmm, I may need to sharpen my claws," she observed teasingly, inclining her head toward the woman in answer to Sully's questioning look.

He glanced to their right and smiled at the woman, then smoothly turned his back to her as he swayed with Michaela, the elegant red material of her dress swishing softly against his trousered legs. Michaela settled back into his arms, snickering softly as the woman gave her a jealous glare and pointedly turned away.

"Have I told you lately that I'm in love with you?" Michaela asked her husband sweetly, nuzzling his neck and once again breathing in the wonderfully masculine cologne he was wearing.

"Not as much as I'm in love with _you_, I bet," he murmured with a playful grin, maneuvering her out of another couple's way and knowing what would come next.

"You would most certainly _lose_ that bet, Mr. Sully," Michaela chuckled softly, never tiring of their familiar banter.

"Mmm, I really must thank Rebecca for giving you that cologne," she sighed languidly. "It's simply divine...but then again...I adore your natural scent just as much," she added cheekily, feeling him chuckle softly and murmur, "Thank you." She pressed herself covertly against him as they swayed to the slow and easy tune.

"Oooo, watch it now...or somebody'll come up and tell us to 'get a room'...and we just might have to."

"Is that a promise?" she teased, surreptitiously glancing to her left and blowing softly in his ear in the way she knew drove him absolutely out of his mind.

"Michaela Ann..." he warned softly, his voice low, starting to say something else, but stopping as he felt a firm tap on his left shoulder. _Oh __no,__ not__ another __guy__ wantin__' __to __dance__ with __my __wife..._ he groused silently. Racking his brain to think of a polite way to tell the man to get lost, he turned and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Sully, what...?" Michaela asked, looking into her husband's face and then to their right to follow his gaze, her mouth dropping open.

David was standing on the dance floor, gazing at them innocently as he waited for Sully to release her into his arms for a dance!

Before either of them could think of anything to say, David reached out and forcibly took Michaela from her husband's arms, swirling her away among the tightly spaced dancers, thereby rendering Sully unable to do anything without creating a spectacle. He ground his teeth and balled his fists in frustration.

"David, what are you doing?" Michaela demanded quietly, but with calm, self-assured strength.

"I saw you out here and just wanted to have a dance with you, for old times' sake," he answered smoothly, eyeing Sully and maneuvering them further away.

"How did you get in? I was told you weren't on the guest list," Michaela stated pointedly.

"I have my ways," he muttered vaguely. His eyes flicked to his nemesis and watched him walk off the floor and straight to his ex-wife's sister and that no good husband of hers, his own cousin, Robert. David was still livid with anger and jealousy over the fact that Robert had spent so much money helping them out with that land deal. He was _family_ and Robert had never offered him one red cent!

Bringing his attention back to Michaela, he gazed down at her, taking in how absolutely ravishing she looked – and confirming the fact that she was obviously pregnant, as his friend had informed him earlier. Suffering from a classic case of the grass being greener, he murmured, "So...I see your cowboy has already done the deed...no doubt his attempt to force you to stay with him."

Michaela's eyes grew large with amazement at her ex-husband's audacity and wondered what he was up to this time.

He went on, "You know...I've been thinking about you a lot lately, Michaela... how _good_ we were together. You have to be bored stiff with that so called 'rancher' you married, living way out there in the sticks in that tiny 'town'. Surely you miss the excitement of a big city..." He waited a beat to see if she would rise to the bait, but she was simply staring at him with a guarded expression, effortlessly moving to the music as she waited for her chance to escape back to Sully.

"I'm willing to take you back, even though you've dirtied yourself with the likes of _him_," he continued, leaning down to her ear and whispering an extremely indecent comment, which caused her mouth to drop open and her face to burn with embarrassment.

Without a second thought, Michaela stopped in mid beat, drew her right arm back, and slapped her disgusting ex-husband across the face with all the force she could muster. Sully, having been watching their every move, took off instantly, pushing his way through the dancers who had now stopped in surprise, Rebecca and Robert on his heels, all three intent on rescuing Michaela.

She took a deep breath and stared into David's surprised eyes as he raised a hand to his cheek, plainly branded with her handprint.

"You _disgust_ me, David Lewis," she practically spat, her eyes shooting sage and russet flames as six years of mistreatment at his hands flooded back into her soul and added fuel to the already raging fire. "The best day of my life, until the day I married Sully, was the day the papers came in the mail granting my divorce from _you_."

Sully pushed by the last person and reached her side then, protectively flanking her and ready for anything, his hands flexing in anticipation as he secretly hoped the other man would give him cause to render him unconscious. His eyes sparked with blue fire.

Rebecca and Robert reached them and placed themselves supportively on either side of their sister and brother-in-law, Rebecca secretly proud to watch her beautiful sister give the loathsome David his due. Michaela curled her hands into fists at her side in an effort to keep calm, determined to tell her ex exactly what she thought of him.

"You are _the_ most selfish, arrogant, uncaring, and unscrupulous man I've ever met, _and_, I might add, an embarrassment to the medical profession," Michaela went on steadily, her chin thrust forward in anger. "You don't know the meaning of the word _Love_. You never have, and you probably never will. And for that, I feel sorry for you, David." The man just stood rooted to the spot, truly taken aback by his ex-wife's ferocity.

"What Sully and I have together you could never imagine – and for your information – I've never been happier in my entire life. I thank God every day that I am away from _you_. And I'll _thank_ you to _never_ speak to me again!" she finished haughtily. Turning on her heel with a swish of her red dress and a tinkle of her bracelet, she submitted to her husband's grasp as people around them stepped back and they made their way through the curious crowd of gawking onlookers.

Never one to make a spectacle of herself in public, Michaela felt her face flame red as she realized the room had become embarrassingly silent, even the music had stopped.

Sully led his wife to the side and drew her protectively into his embrace, feeling her body shaking with wrath and discomfiture as he gently cradled her head against his neck and shoulder. Her arms encircled his back and held on fiercely as the stress of the last few minutes took its toll, and tears began to fill her eyes.

Turning his head, a muscle rippling in his cheek as he strove to maintain his control, Sully watched with hooded, angry eyes as Burt Halman spoke tersely to the vile man in the center of the dance floor. Sully smiled with grim satisfaction as David rightfully hung his head and made his way to the exit, obviously on threat of being forcefully removed from the premises.

Everyone in the ballroom breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator doors closed, the jovial atmosphere that had been so rudely interrupted slowly beginning to return as the band resumed playing.

Having made sure the offender had vacated the premises, Robert and Rebecca reached her side as Michaela parted a bit from her husband's protective embrace, chuckling softly as she accepted his handkerchief with which to dab at her eyes.

"Well that was certainly something..." she softly joked.

"I'd say you told _him_," Robert commented with an amused grin. Sully and Rebecca nodded in agreement, their eyes never leaving Michaela's face.

"That was something I've wanted to do for the longest time," Michaela admitted with a satisfied grin.

"Feel good?" Sully murmured with a loving smile.

"Yes it did," she declared firmly, smiling at the three and taking a large, calming breath.

"It did, _indeed_."


	13. The Long Trip Home

**CHAPTER 13 – The Long Trip Home**

"Oh Michaela, this week has just flown by," Elizabeth lamented, her eyes misting as she gazed at her charmingly pregnant daughter, reaching for her hands and taking them both in hers for an affectionate squeeze.

"It has indeed," Michaela agreed, leaning to give her mother a warm hug and kiss on the cheek as they each fondly recalled various memories from the fun-filled week, which culminated in the entire Quinn extended family, including the eleven grandchildren, spending a thoroughly enjoyable, despite cold and rainy, New Year's Eve at Elizabeth's home.

Sully had learned first hand just how 'hot' the "Quintessential Quinn Family New Year's Hot and Spicy Chili," actually was, when he nearly fell for the annual 'see who we can dupe this year' practical joke parlayed by his fellow brothers-in-law. Mercifully, Michaela took pity on the man she loved and stopped him from naïvely taking a huge first spoonful, as she knew Marjorie's husband, Eric and Maureen's husband, Craig had surreptitiously dumped into Sully's bowl an ungodly amount of Cayenne pepper.

The Sully kids had spent an enjoyable night with the large family in Elizabeth's wonderful basement family fun room, playing Foosball and other table games while the men battled it out playing pool or ping pong. Everyone had donned silly hats and the whole huge basement resounded with a cacophony of laughter as the kids chased each other with noisemakers. Everyone enjoyed drinking ginger ale and ice cream punch, making outlandish ice cream sundaes with preposterous combinations of toppings, and finishing the night off with a rousing rendition of "Auld Lang Syne."

Alas, Brian, spent most of New Year's Day recovering from an extreme case of overindulgence.

Now as Elizabeth turned her eyes to the rest of the family, who were gathering their belongings and assembling at the front door of the antebellum mansion, she added, "I will miss all of you so very much. This old home will seem so quiet after this week of fun."

"Why don't you come _with_ us, Grandma?" Brian asked innocently, his sweet smile beaming up at her.

The adults chuckled at his innocence, and Sully reached out to affectionately ruffle his son's hair as Elizabeth smiled at the child, and then gazed around the foyer of her opulent home, replying, "Because...this is my _home_."

"You'd miss it, huh," Brian stated understandingly, thinking about the things he missed at home...Wolf, the horses, his friends, his toys, he and Matthew's room...

Elizabeth nodded fondly and reached out to hug the child to her waist, answering softly, "I would miss it."

"But you're coming to stay with us when Mom has the baby...right?" Hannah asked, leaning in for a warm hug from her beloved Grandmother.

"Yes, I certainly am, sweetheart," Elizabeth replied with a smile, kissing Hannah on top of her honey brown hair. The doting grandmother marveled for a moment how, in just eighteen months, the lovely child before her had gone from stranger to precious grandchild so completely. It was as if there had been a missing piece, a 'Hannah shaped hole' which the young girl fit into perfectly, and it now seemed as if she had always been part of their family. _That, __of__ course,__ went__ for __her__ father __as __well_, Elizabeth mused.

Reaching for Colleen, she added, "I'm looking forward to that very much." Having given up that her youngest daughter would ever have the opportunity to give birth, Elizabeth couldn't be happier that it was finally happening, and she had every intention of spoiling the youngest Sully tremendously when he or she finally made their appearance.

Turning to hug Sully, she murmured, "I'm counting on you to take good care of my daughter...and everyone." Then pulling back a little, she smiled up into his eyes and added with confidence in her strong, sure son-in-law, "And I know you will protect them, as always."

Smiling, though his eyes were very serious, he leaned to press a kiss to her cheek, murmuring softly, "With my life, Elizabeth." The two hesitated for a few moments, communicating silently with their eyes, and Elizabeth had no doubt that Sully meant what he said – he would, if need be, give his life for his wife and family. The thought gave her a slight chill, and she said a quick prayer that nothing would ever force him to make that choice.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door and it opened to reveal a smiling Robert, Rebecca, and Marjorie, the latter of whom held a newspaper in her hand.

"Did you guys know you made Sara Black's society column?" she blurted with a mischievous grin, in truth giddy with the knowledge that her studious, 'perfect' younger sister had finally done something about which the family might be embarrassed.

"They did?" Colleen and Hannah asked simultaneously.

"Oh _no_," Michaela murmured in dread. Everyone in Boston was familiar with the infamous 'Black Column' in which Sara Black, who carried a decidedly large chip on her shoulder, seemed to take great pleasure in trashing those whom she deemed not worthy of their position in society.

"What's a _syity_ column?" Brian asked in confusion, glancing around and pursing his lips in a small pout when the adults chuckled and smiled.

"It's a column in the newspaper where they report the happenings...or antics...of the rich and famous," Marjorie immediately supplied, gleefully ignoring the glaring eyes of her mother and the dread in the eyes of her younger sister.

"Are _we_ rich and famous?" The little boy immediately wanted to know, as other than his grandmother's opulent house, he knew of nothing in his life that seemed _rich_. Cleaning out horse stalls at home just didn't seem to him as something in which the 'rich' participated.

"Well...Burton Halman is..." Rebecca began, pausing as Marjorie interjected with a minuscule touch of envy, "_And_ you and Robert, since he won the Powerball, anyway."

"I don't think I want to read it..." Michaela began, but Colleen interrupted. "Mom, you got your name in the paper! That's exciting!"

"Colleen, it is definitely NOT always a good thing to be mentioned in the Boston Globe," her mother deadpanned, glancing at her husband who had chosen to remain neutral on the subject.

Not to be ignored, Marjorie unfolded the paper and held it for everyone to see as she read the small article aloud.

**Violence**** Nearly ****Erupts ****at ****Annual**** Halman**** '****After ****Christmas**** Gala****'**, by Sara Black, Town Correspondent.

_With its coveted guest list limited to one hundred of the most elite of Boston society, this year's event was very nearly the site of a physical row Monday night, as a divorced couple exchanged heated words in the middle of the dance floor. _

_It seems a Dr. David Lewis crashed the famous ball, which is hosted by Burton and Evelyn Halman, and this year for the first time was held in the ballroom of the trendy Liberty Hotel. According to sources attending the gala, Lewis tricked his way in for the express purpose of starting a public argument to humiliate his ex-wife, the elegant copper-haired Dr. Michaela Quinn-Sully, late of Colorado Springs, Colorado. _

_The festivities came to a screeching halt as Quinn-Sully physically attacked her ex-husband, while astonished partygoers looked on with mouths agape. Then, as one bystander described, she proceeded to tell him off, while her new husband, Mr. Byron Sully (a reportedly virile hunk of a man) of M & S Ranch in Colorado Springs, and her brother-in-law and sister, Robert and Rebecca Collins, stood guard._

_The sisters hail from a long line of upper crust Boston Quinns, while Collins, readers will certainly remember, gained notoriety several years ago by winning fifty million in the Massachusetts Powerball. _

_Obviously, __money __and __breeding __fall __to __the __wayside, __and __the __rich __and__ famous__ become __just __like __us__ regular__ '__folk__' __when __it __comes __to __matters __of __the __heart. __Just __sayin__'__._

The family glanced around at each other as Michaela offered, "Well...I was expecting much worse..."

"You _attacked_ David, Mom?" Matthew asked with his customary half grin.

"No, of course not," Michaela defended instantly. "He said something...uncalled for and I slapped him."

"Why were you dancing with _him_?" Colleen asked incredulously, thinking David should have been the last person in the _world_ with whom her mother would dance.

Sully laid a loving hand on Michaela's arm and answered softly, "Because he surprised us as we were dancin', and before we could react, he'd pulled her out there with him."

"What'd he say that made you so mad, Mom?" Hannah asked in amazement that her sweet, calm mother would get so angry as to actually slap a person. She, of course, had no way of knowing her mother had actually slapped her _father_ when they were first dating when he had rather crudely accused her of 'dallying' with Preston Lodge on the floor of the clinic.

"Something that does not bear repeating," Michaela stated firmly, her tone brooking no argument.

"Well, as Michaela said, it could have been much worse," Elizabeth declared in relief. "Now, I hate to be the one to say it, but you really need to get going if you are to make your flight home...and since I abhor goodbyes at airports, I will bid you farewell here," she added resignedly.

Then with a flurry of hugs and kisses and promises to call often, the Sullys climbed into Robert's car and headed to the airport.

OOOOOOOOO

The next three hours proved quite stressful, ending with all six Sullys having to run for the plane due to problems ahead of them in the security checkpoint line, the family finally settling down into their comfortable first class seats on board their flight for home with only moments to spare.

After stowing their carryon bags overhead as Michaela made sure the children were settled and comfortable, and reminded the younger three of proper 'First Class air travel etiquette', Sully stepped aside and allowed his wife to pass to her seat next to the window.

Thinking about the long wait at the airport checkpoint, being forced to witness two different passengers arguing with security and refusing to be searched – one to the point of being taken away by the authorities, which made everyone behind them in line uncomfortable and nearly late for their planes, plus having to watch endless newscasts on every television monitor concerning an inmate that had escaped a federal prison days before, and the authorities had no clue as yet to his whereabouts - Sully glanced around at the blue seats and white walls of the airplane, murmuring, "I hope we have good luck on this flight."

Michaela, in the act of buckling her safety belt, turned her head to look into his eyes, an uneasy chill running through her at the tone of his voice. "Sully...is something wrong?"

He glanced at her as he reached for his own seat belt, regretting that he had uttered his thoughts out loud. "Nah. Just thinkin' out loud is all," he responded, forcing a reassuring smile.

"Oh. I'm sure we will," she stated confidently, though inside a tiny spark of fear tried to burst into flame. She knew from experience how her husband could somehow sense when something was about to go wrong. Closing her eyes for a moment, she prayed fervently for angels to guard the plane and all its occupants.

The two settled back into their seats, Sully taking his wife's hand in his and raising it to his lips for a lingering kiss as he stared straight ahead, trying to make sense of the disturbing dream he'd had the night before. The images were vague, shadowed, and disjointed. His wife screaming in fright...the children cowering in fear...himself running, screaming her name as he watched her fall. Then he had awakened, his heart pounding as he had gulped in air. Michaela had come back to bed just then from the adjoining bathroom, and he had made light of his upset and passed it off as merely waking without her beside him.

Having pushed aside the sensation of foreboding all morning, now the feelings came back full force, assailing him with dread – so strong he felt nauseous and jittery. His vow of that morning, to protect Michaela and the children with his life, echoed in his mind. Casting long glances at each passenger as they settled in their seats, trying to determine if any were up to no good, Sully prayed a quick prayer that this time it was just a dream and not a glimpse into the future...

The girls made themselves comfortable in seats directly behind their parents, pleased that this was one of the airline's new planes that came equipped with personal DVD players in the headrests. Giving each other a high five, they quickly retrieved their favorite movies from their shoulder purses and loaded the devices, intending on passing the two hours enjoyably until their changeover in Chicago.

Matthew and Brian also settled into their seats, glancing around at their fellow first class passengers as they boarded. Not spending long in that, however, Matthew quickly pulled his cell phone from his pocket and made one more call to his beloved back home before he would be forced to turn off the device. Brian fidgeted in his seat and stretched up to gaze out his window.

None of the family had a clue what Sully was going through at that moment..._or_ just how significant his feelings of foreboding actually were.

OOOOOOOOO

The man banged his fist on the front door of the house that used to be his home. Emboldened by methamphetamines, he had made the decision to ignore the EPO his ex wife had taken out on him and made his way over to the house, intending to 'have it out with the b****.'

"Rachel!" he bellowed. "Lemme in!"

After waiting a few minutes with no response, the inebriated man stumbled to a window at the end of the porch and yanked it to the side in the way he knew would pop the lock, and sure enough it did. Chuckling evilly, he forced it up and climbed into the room...

OOOOOOOOO

Brian half listened to his brother's conversation with his girlfriend, even though Matthew was speaking in low, private tones. The seven-year-old rolled his eyes and thought, "Yuck!" at what he considered 'mushy junk'. His lips formed a pout for a minute as he thought about how things used to be...before his brother 'fell in love' and before his mom and dad found out they were going to have a baby. Though he tried to be 'grown up' about it all, it was easy to feel sorry for himself and left out, even though he knew his family loved him. He just didn't understand why mom and dad wanted a _baby..._

"Yeah, it's okay. Doesn't hurt much anymore," his brother was saying, unconsciously reaching down to rub the scars on his leg left by the vicious nails.

Thinking about that horrible morning, Brian blanched at the words, feeling the guilt well up inside his heart. His young mind couldn't even grasp the fact that he could have killed his brother – that was too horrible to contemplate – just the fact that he'd hurt him at all brought tears to his eyes.

Biting his bottom lip, he looked over at his brother just as the pilot announced the order for all cell devices to be powered down. Matthew grudgingly complied. After the standard safety talk, the passengers tried to sit back and relax for what they expected to be a routine flight. Sully reached over and grasped his wife's hand again, drawing it to his mouth for a quick kiss as the plane began to taxi.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," she returned with a happy smile, placing a loving hand on her belly.

Each person was very relieved that it was a smooth take off, and soon the plane leveled off at its cruising altitude and the seat belt sign switched off.

OOOOOOOOO

The weary woman glanced around at the bedroom, trying to think of what else she would need. It was so hard, under so much pressure, to decide what to leave and what to take. She wished she had more time, but somehow she knew minutes counted.

Just then, she jumped in fright, clamping a hand over her mouth as a loud banging sounded from the front of the house, and a horribly familiar voice yelled her name. Choking back a sob, she looked around wildly, trying desperately not to hyperventilate or freeze in panic, grabbed several papers she had printed from her computer, slammed her suitcase shut, and hurried to the back door. She could hear the sound of one of the front windows being forced as she slipped out the back, closing the door quietly.

As fast as she could move her nearly paralyzed-with-fear legs, she made it to her car and got in, starting up and backing out, praying she would get away without him knowing.

OOOOOOOOO

Brian glanced again at his brother as Matthew fiddled with his Ipod.

"Matthew?" he ventured hesitantly.

"Yeah, little brother?" Matthew replied distractedly.

"Does...does your leg hurt much?" the little boy asked softly, wishing his eyes weren't filling with tears.

Matthew quickly looked over at his brother, instantly seeing the guilt in his soft blue eyes. Unsure of what to say, Matthew cleared his throat and stammered, "Uh...a little...sometimes..."

"I'm sorry, Matthew...it wish it'd never happened...I feel so bad..." Brian squeaked softly, one tearing escaping and rolling down his cheek as his lips trembled with emotion.

"Hey, hey little brother...it's okay," the older boy murmured, taken aback by Brian's outburst of emotion. They had never actually spoken of it just the two of them, although Matthew had known all along his brother was sorry as he had said as much, many times – heck, Brian had been acting as his personal slave since the very day it happened. But to actually _talk_ about it alone together...the words were proving harder to utter than they should have been.

"Brian...listen, it coulda been a lot worse. My leg's gonna be okay, Mom said so. It won't be long, and I'll forget it ever happened," Matthew assured him, though that was only half true. It was true that his mother had said the leg would make a full recovery...but Matthew wondered if he would ever totally forget the sound of the gun going off and the feeling of the nails ripping into his leg. Though he had told no one, he'd had nightmares on more than one occasion where he relived the entire incident.

Brian still looked doubtful, so Matthew murmured, "Aw Brian...c'mere," and reached to pull his brother into his arms, rocking back and forth gently while the younger boy strove to control his emotions. Wrapping his arms around his older brother's shoulders, Brian murmured, "I won't ever do anything like that again, Matthew...ever."

"Excuse me, son...is everything alright?" A voice across the aisle spoke up gently. Matthew turned his head to see a kind older gentleman leaning their way. "Is the little boy afraid of flying?" he guessed, trying to be helpful.

Sully overheard the question and turned his head, realizing the man was speaking to his sons. Quickly getting up, he moved the few feet down the plane and knelt down next to his sons' seats, flashing the fellow traveler a grateful smile.

"You guys alright?" he murmured lovingly, reaching out to smooth Brian's hair. Brian turned his face from his brother's neck and looked toward his father, tears still falling.

"Brian! Son...what is it?" Sully asked, starting to reach for the boy to take him in his arms, but Matthew moved an arm from around his brother and placed his hand gently on his father's shoulder.

"No Dad...it's okay...let me handle it."

The two men in the family gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, and Sully somehow realized the purpose of the emotional conversation. He pursed his lips and with a nod and a whispered, "Okay, son," he gently laid his hand caressingly on Brian's soft blond hair once more before moving back to his seat.

Michaela looked up from her medical journal. "Sully? Is everything alright?" she asked when he sat back down.

Nodding, he smiled her way, and murmured, "Everything's fine...the boys are...getting a few things cleared up."

Settling down again to try and relax for the remaining time on the first leg of the trip, and not allow every move the other passengers made to jangle his over-sensitive nerves, Sully opened his copy of the latest issue of "The Progressive Rancher" magazine he had brought along, and endeavored to focus his mind on the articles.

OOOOOOOOO

Although they experienced some turbulence on the first flight, and the aggravation of a crying baby in first class as well as an obviously drunken woman demanding more alcohol, everything went smoothly otherwise and the plane made a soft landing in Chicago. The family ate lunch at the same restaurant, Johnny Rockets, although this time their peaceful lunch was permeated with the same aggravating news bulletins about some escaped conflict, which put everyone on edge, but they made their connecting flight in plenty of time.

Sully, ever on guard against the 'unknown', nearly overreacted when Michaela left her seat to use the lavatory about an hour into the second flight. Sully sat in his seat, watching protectively, and jumped to his feet when Michaela exited the small room and ran smack into a male passenger who had been 'lurking' outside the door. The tall, burly man caught and steadied her, grinning down at her rakishly and didn't seem to want to let go of her arms.

In three seconds, Sully was there, firmly extricating his wife from the man's 'embrace' and glaring warningly at him as he murmured, "You okay, sweetheart?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Sully," she answered, "Pardon me," she directed at the man before quickly moving back to their seats. "I didn't need rescuing, Sully. Honestly, what's gotten into you?" Michaela fussed, but Sully brushed aside her agitation.

"Didn't you see how that guy was _lookin__'_ at ya?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes...but Sully...men _look_ at women all the time..."

"I don't care. He ain't lookin' at _my_ pregnant wife like that, not if _I_ can help it," he ground out between clenched teeth.

Opening her mouth to argue more, Michaela thought better of it when she registered the serious expression in Sully's eyes. Thinking her husband was just being overprotective because of the baby and the incident with David, she forced herself to smile and shrug.

"All right, sweetheart," she murmured, leaning toward him for a kiss. He obliged, but only perfunctorily, his attention never fully away from their surroundings.

"Sully...are you _sure_ nothing else is wrong?" she asked softly, reaching to touch his chin and gently turn his face her way.

He met her eyes, thinking _there__'__s __no __way __I__'__m__ tellin__' __her __about __that __dream. _Forcing a smile, he leaned to press his lips to her cheek as he whispered, "Yeah, I'm sure."

Shaking her head and giving up with a shrug, Michaela settled back into her seat with the medical journal she had been trying to finish on four separate flights.

OOOOOOOOO

"Da***t!" the man cursed loudly, shoving furniture over and sweeping items off a table. "She musta heard about my escape and hightailed it," he muttered angrily, pacing the house like an angry lion as he looked for clues to where his elusive ex-wife had gone.

"Aagghhh!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, irrational anger boiling over, fueled by the powerful hit of meth he had consumed. "Where are you, woman?"

Panting with angry exertion, he stomped his way into the bedroom, his eyes sweeping surfaces until they spied a piece of paper on the floor by the desk. Making his way over, he picked it up and read the few words on what appeared to be the second page of a two-page email. An evil smile formed on his lips as a snicker escaped.

Nodding, he stuffed the paper in his pocket and shoved his way over to the nightstand, wrenching open the top drawer. Smiling again with satisfaction, he muttered, "You never were very bright, were ya b****? You shouldn't a left this," he added as he leaned down and grabbed the object in the top of the drawer, shoving it in the back of his belt as he turned to go.

OOOOOOOOO

After forty more minutes into the four-hour flight, Sully leaned back in his seat, rubbing a hand over his eyes and across the back of his neck, realizing he was beginning to suffer the makings of a stress migraine.

Glancing over at his wife, who was sitting comfortably with her eyes closed, he hated to wake her, but leaned over, whispering, "Michaela?"

She stirred, blinking her eyes open. "Yes, Sully? What is it?"

"You got any of William's capsules on ya?" he asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes again with the heel of one hand.

"Oh sweetheart, your head is hurting?" she asked lovingly, reaching for her purse and the bottle of capsules she carried with her everywhere.

Quickly pouring out two, she signaled the flight attendant and asked for a bottle of water, which was provided without delay. Sully gladly swallowed the miracle capsules and snuggled into his wife's arms, submitting to her massaging of his temples and eventually drifting off for a short nap.

OOOOOOOOO

The fearful woman, shaking with nervousness, stood in line at the busy ATM, shifting from one foot to the other, checking her watch and the clock on the wall every few moments. She had repeatedly turned to look behind her, nearly overcome with irrational fear that he would figure out where she had gone, but so far nothing.

Fighting tears of frustration, she huffed an impatient sigh as she wished the people in front of her would just _hurry __up!_ Out of habit, she checked the clock on the wall and her watch again, then made another sweep of the large room as she rotated to look behind her.

Her eyes grew huge with terror as she saw _him_ just coming in the main doors.

_Oh__ my __God!_ She breathed, her breath catching in her throat as an involuntary whimper escaped her lips. Frantically, she cast her eyes around, looking for somewhere to hide. Seeing a sign on the wall several feet away, she ducked her head and ran, pushing her way in and hoping _he_ had not witnessed her mad dash.

OOOOOOOOO

It was a grateful group of Sullys that landed in Colorado Springs. The last leg of the flight always seemed sooo long, and Sully was especially glad to be on the ground again where he felt more in control. Deducing that the incident with the man outside the lavatory on the plane must have been the 'danger' he had feared, Sully began to relax as their week long holiday swiftly came to an end.

Exiting the plane and making their way into the terminal along with the other passengers, Michaela grimaced as she saw a large 'Out of order' sign in front of the ladies' room. Continuing on their way down the concourse, anxious to be home, the family dodged the crowd of people tugging carryons and juggling coats and wraps. Descending to the first floor of the terminal, Michaela handed her coat and carryon to her husband, desperately needing to make a pit stop in the ladies' room before they got on the road for home.

"Okay sweetheart, me and the kids'll be down at the baggage carousels," Sully acknowledged as she nodded distractedly, intent on her mission.

Once inside, she found a stall and quickly took care of business, sighing with relief, then made her way to the sinks to wash her hands. It was then that she heard it. Crying. Sobbing, actually.

Exchanging glances with two other ladies, who shrugged their shoulders carelessly as if to say, "Oh well, none of _my_ business," and promptly exited, Michaela tentatively approached the stall door and raised her hand to give a gentle knock.

"Pardon me...but...I'm a doctor. Are you in need of help?" she called softly through the door.

The crying stopped for a moment and a voice shakily answered, "Thank you, but I...I'm not sick."

"All right," Michaela returned. Her nurturing heart unable to just walk away from someone so obviously in need of help or comfort, she added gently, "May I be of any assistance? I'm a good listener..."

After a few moments of silence, Michaela heard sniffling and a flush, followed by the rattle of the door latch and the door slowly swinging open. There stood a bedraggled woman in worn and faded jeans and a stained blouse, her face red and puffy from crying. Michaela could see her luggage, a carryon bag, her purse, and her coat stuffed into the stall.

Puzzled, Michaela smiled gently, hoping to encourage the distraught woman to open up and let her know what was wrong. Perhaps she was traveling to another state for a funeral? Perhaps she just lost her job?

Gesturing toward a pair of chairs against the far wall, Michaela asked softly, "Would you like to sit and talk for a few minutes?"

The woman nodded shakily and wiped her nose, turning to retrieve her belongings.

"Here, let me help with those," Michaela offered, gesturing to the smaller of the bags.

Making it to the chairs, the women sat down and Michaela leaned forward, offering a caring ear to the stranger.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, the woman burst out, "He's going to kill me!"

Startled, Michaela's eyes grew large, and she blinked several times before asking softly, "Who?"

"My ex-husband!"

OOOOOOOOO

Having searched each of the three baggage claim carousels with no luck, Sully was beginning to get frustrated. The kids were tired and hungry, Matthew's leg was throbbing from walking on it too long, and Sully wanted nothing more than to find their luggage, collect his wife, find the Escalade, and get home.

"Sit down over there, Matthew," he suggested, indicating a phone booth against the wall. Piling their carryons and Michaela's coat near his son, he added, "I'm gonna check the other two again. Kids, you stay with Matthew."

Heading to the first two carousels, he watched as the remaining bags were retrieved and saw that no more luggage was coming down the belt on the first one, the same with the second. Finally reaching the third and farthest again, he heard the announcement, "That concludes the baggage service. If your bags have not arrived, report to the check-in desk, where we will be momentarily."

"Great, just great!" he groused under his breath.

OOOOOOOOO

"His name is Johnny Reed," the woman answered Michaela's question after concluding a shortened version of her story, which consisted of a happy marriage turned nightmare when her husband became hooked on Methamphetamines, and the fear and abuse that entails. She told of doing her best to protect her children, now seven and eleven, which finally necessitated turning her husband in as a drug user and supplier.

"He swore he would make me pay when they sentenced him to five years," the woman sniffled, wiping her tired eyes again. "It's only been two...he escaped three days ago from a federal prison in Georgia." Michaela nodded, remembering having seen the news flashes and putting two and two together.

"I immediately contacted my parents in Florida, and they said we could stay with them. They had just sold their house in Virginia and moved there, so he won't know where to find us. I sent the kids on ahead with a new, but trusted friend, someone Johnny doesn't know." Putting a tissue up to her face and wiping her nose, she murmured self-deprecatingly, "I should have done that when he first went in, but the kids loved their schools...their friends...our house...Colorado..." she explained sadly, hating that her children's lives were once again torn apart. "After I put them on the plane, I stayed behind to try and take everything of value with us," she explained shakily. "I was in the house when I heard him banging on the front door, so I snuck out the back and got out of there as quickly as I could."

"So, why are you in _here_ and not on a plane?" Michaela asked gently.

"As I was in the process of trying to get some money from the ATM, I saw him enter the outer door of the airport and I panicked and ran in here," the woman answered pitifully, a fresh wave of terror washing over her at the prospect of him lurking outside the restroom door.

"How long have you been hiding?" Michaela asked sympathetically, racking her brain for a way to help the woman.

"Two hours. I've been petrified to even look out the door...and my plane is due to leave in less than thirty minutes!"

"Perhaps we can call security..." Michaela offered sensibly.

"He's got a gun, and he'd shoot me before they could get to him," the woman stated emphatically, shaking her head firmly.

"How do you know he has a gun?" Michaela asked, confused.

"Because...it was in my nightstand drawer, upstairs...and I didn't have time to get it before I ran," the woman answered, shaking her head at the seemingly hopeless situation.

"I'm going to call my husband and let him know what is going on," Michaela returned, but stopped as she realized the awful truth. "Oh no...my cell phone is in my coat pocket...my husband has my coat!"

The woman just shook her head, not surprised, the way her luck was running.

Thinking quickly, Michaela suggested, "Let me go and get security..."

"No! If Johnny sees a bunch of security officers walking to the ladies' room, he'll know I'm in here!" the frightened woman reacted, grasping hold of Michaela's arm.

"All right...then...here, put this on," Michaela suggested, taking a scarf, a Christmas gift from one of her nieces, from around her neck and tying it on the woman's head. "That will disguise you enough, and we should be able to make it. The security desk is just up the next level..."

Nervously nodding, the woman stood and between the two, they collected her things and went to the door, stepping back to allow several women inside.

"Open the door a crack and see if you see him," Michaela suggested, hoping fervently that he had left the premises. The woman shakily complied, scanning the immediate area and not locating him.

"All right...let's go, we'll walk nonchalantly and go right up the escalator," Michaela again suggested, and taking a deep breath, the women exited the restroom. Looking around quickly, Michaela both hoped and dreaded that her family would be waiting for her outside the door, but they weren't.

OOOOOOOOO

He had been waiting near the outer entrance to the airport for over two hours and his patience, what little he had, was about gone. He _knew_ she was here, somewhere, and when he found her – oh boy would she regret turning on him the way she had.

Hovering nonchalantly by a large potted plant, scanning the people coming and going, Johnny Reed smiled evilly as he thought about his piece of luck at finding the paper on the floor that mentioned American Airlines. He knew instantly that she was going to try to fly out of Colorado Springs and slip out of his grasp. But he was too smart for her!

Still high off the 'rock' of meth he had smoked not an hour after walking out of prison a free man, his heart raced and he felt like Superman as he continued to scan the crowd, waiting...waiting...

It was lucky he had remembered how to contact his old friend and pusher, Brett Courier. Like the friend he was, he'd given Johnny a free hit for old times sake.

Frustrated with the waiting, he decided to take a nonchalant stroll down the walk to the baggage claim areas, and maybe even up the escalator to the ticket counter area and see what he could find.

As he rounded the Flight Information monitors, he slipped his hand in his pocket and felt the gun, giving him a surge of meth grandiosity. Surreptitiously glancing around, he didn't see her anywhere and anger began to bubble to the surface. He was tired of waiting!

Glancing at two women walking toward the escalator with their heads down, one of them obviously pregnant, he only gave them a cursory glance and averted his eyes...then glanced back. Something about the one with the scarf...the way she walked...seemed familiar...

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela and the other woman, their mouths dry with nervousness, hearts pumping hard, were only a matter of yards from the escalator. It took every ounce of self-control they had not to hurry, or even run. Michaela turned her head and looked back toward the baggage claim area once again for Sully. All of a sudden, she had a strong feeling she had made the wrong decision, and she wished more than anything that her virile, brave husband was walking with them. Shutting her eyes for a moment, she prayed fervently that he would feel she needed him and make his way to them quickly.

Just then, what both women had dreaded and hoped to avoid, happened. To their right, a loud voice bellowed, "Stop right there you b****!"

Seconds later, pandemonium erupted. Men and women began screaming, running, and pulling children away from the man standing with feet planted firmly, holding a gun pointed straight at two obviously very frightened women.

OOOOOOOOO

"Great, just great!" Sully groused under his breath, having just heard the announcement concerning the baggage. Turning toward the kids, he took one step and suddenly people were screaming and running away from the center of the baggage level. With an instant sickening feeling, Sully knew without a doubt that his wife was in trouble. Immediately on the heels of that, _her_ fear hit him and he drew in a breath, yelling over the din to the kids, "Matthew! Take care of the kids, I think your Mom's in trouble!"

"Mom, no!" The girls squealed in fear at the thought of their mother in the center of something so frightening it had men and women running and screaming.

Taking his big brother job instantly serious, Matthew quickly herded his three siblings over behind the last baggage carousel and made them hunker down. The girls, clasping each other and bursting into sobs, crouched with their heads together, while Brian tried to raise his head and see where their father had gone. Matthew quickly pushed his brother's head down, thinking the whole thing seemed surreal... like something you only read about in the news, but never think you would actually experience yourself. This wasn't supposed to happen! They were home! In Colorado Springs! What was going on?

Sully, berating himself for letting his guard down, ran full speed toward his precious, frightened wife, dodging people fleeing from the danger, praying, _God,__ help __me __get __there __in __time!_

OOOOOOOOO

Having heard the panicked screams, two rookie uniformed policemen came running from the second level, taking the stairs two at a time, but halting immediately upon seeing the man with the gun pointed at the two women. The terminal was in chaos, they had to react quickly and rightly to avoid what could potentially be a tragedy.

"Lady, I don't know who you are, but get away from my wife or you're gonna get yourself shot!" Reed bellowed, moving the gun to point directly at Michaela's stomach.

"No please! He'll kill me!" the wife begged from her position behind Michaela, the position Michaela had thrust her to the instant they had heard Reed's first outburst.

Shaking and in mortal fear for her life, Michaela moistened dry lips and tried to think of the best way to handle the situation. She couldn't just step away and let this poor woman be murdered. But neither could she stand there and allow herself to be shot and possibly killed. _What __should __I __do?_ She agonized silently.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her beloved husband skid to a stop several yards from them. She glanced quickly over at him, not wanting to draw attention to _him_ and possibly draw the gunman's fire. In that glance, however, she could see his agony as he watched the proceedings from afar. _Oh __Sully! __Don__'__t __do __anything __rash! __Please __sweetheart, __don__'__t __get __yourself __shot!_

"Sir, put the gun down, NOW, or we will have no choice but to use deadly force!" one of the two uniformed police officers shouted to the armed man, their guns trained on him, both nervous about how to handle what could possibly be their first 'shoot out'.

In his meth-induced 'superhuman' state of mind, Reed was sure their weapons would have no effect on him. All he wanted was to make short work of his ex-wife. Walking slowly toward the two women, the gun held firmly in both his hands, he stopped a mere ten feet away, aiming the weapon at Michaela's heart.

"I told you to get yourself out of the way, lady," he warned menacingly.

Sully, his heart jumping to his throat, yelled "Hey, hey!" his hands up in the air to show he was no threat to the man. Reed whirled and aimed the gun at this aggravating interruption amid screams from the onlookers, as well Michaela. This was just what she had feared. _Oh __please,__ GOD, __don__'__t __let__ my __husband __be __shot!_

"Put down the gun!" one of the officers yelled, thankfully taking the man's attention from Sully. Reed whirled again, his heart pounding from the effects of the meth. Sweating profusely, he aimed at the voice, then turned once more and aimed again at Michaela, fighting lightheadedness caused by his quick movements.

The officers were in a quandary. Neither of them had a clear shot, as travelers were everywhere, crouching and hiding, huddling in groups, crying. And then there was the man who had just nearly gotten himself blown away. Both of the officers knew, however, that they had to do something FAST before the man with the gun fulfilled his threat.

Sully was also in a quandary. He had a perfect vantage point to the man, who seemed oblivious to anyone but the two women, but Sully had no weapon! Watching the faces of the officers, he could tell they were hesitating on taking action. Oh, how he wished for something to use against the man – even Brian's toy tomahawk! Desperately looking around for a way to save his wife and the unknown woman, he spied a janitor's pushcart about two yards away. Creeping slowly toward it on all fours, he scanned the cart quickly and seized an item he thought would work...

"Mr. Reed...please put the gun down," Michaela tried softly as she watched the man weave a bit under the influence of the powerful drug, though she was so frightened she could hear her heart pounding above the noise in the terminal. The other woman cowered behind her, whimpering in fear and shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, positive she was about to die.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," the man growled, lowering the gun once again to aim it directly at Michaela's stomach.

"Johnny, DON'T!" the woman screamed just as an unknown object came hurtling across the space from Michaela's right, striking a perfect blow to the gunman's head. The man dropped like a stone, but unfortunately, his finger jerked on the trigger, and the gun fired a single round.

As the sound of the gunshot echoed off the terminal walls, Michaela screamed, as she and the other woman fell to the floor.

**"God NO! MICHAELA!"** Sully roared as he ran forward and skidded to a stop, dropping to his knees at his wife's side.

...


	14. Sully's Perfect Aim

**CHAPTER 14 – Sully's Perfect Aim**

"Michaela!" Sully gulped, nearly freaking totally out when he saw his wife lying motionless on the floor of the terminal. "Oh my God," he whispered as he looked down at her soft white, long sleeve maternity tee shirt - one they had picked out together and he had teased her about its sweet little purple heart patch positioned over the baby – stained red with blood low on her side.

Turning his head, he bellowed, "Somebody call an ambulance!"

The uniformed officers, now joined by several more that had answered their teammates' call for help, had quickly begun taking control of the situation and securing the perpetrator. Hearing Sully's impassioned plea, one of them quickly relayed the need for medical assistance.

_Oh __God, __please __let __her __be __alright! __Don__'__t __take __her __from __me __God, __please..._Hovering over his wife closely as people quickly gathered around to either gawk or try to help, Sully carefully touched his precious wife's face, murmuring, "Michaela? Sweetheart?"

Slowly coming to, her eyes fluttered open and she focused on her husband's worried face, her brow furrowing in confusion for a moment until she remembered what had taken place. In the next instant, the pain hit and she gasped, reaching a hand to her side.

"No, don't," Sully fussed, grasping hold of her hand and shakingly raising it to his lips for a reverent kiss. "Just try to lie still...you've been shot."

Michaela shook her head. "No, I think I'm all right," she assured him. Staring into his eyes in silent communication, she murmured, "I...help me look..." He understood her plea for a modicum of privacy and leaned over her as she discreetly raised the side of her shirt.

Relief washed over him as he saw that the bullet had only grazed her side at her waist, its path a 'trench' two inches long, and a half-inch wide, and was bleeding steadily. He noticed then it had torn two jagged holes – entry and exit - in the shirt.

"The bullet just grazed you, thank God, but it sure is bleedin' a lot..." he murmured.

"Oh, I'm so sorry this happened... you...you were just trying to...to help me..." the other woman stammered, sitting up and raising her hands to her face in shock as she viewed the rapidly widening blood stain on Michaela's white maternity top.

Just then, the kids arrived from the other side of the baggage level, squirming their way through the crowd of people surrounding their parents.

"Mom!" The girls screamed when they saw the blood. "Mama!" Brian gulped, he and his sisters in tears as they fell to their knees around their mother. Matthew made his way through the throng just then, meeting eyes with his father and shaking his head with a shrug. "Sorry Dad, I couldn't hold 'em back."

Smiling understandingly, Sully murmured, "It's okay son."

"Sir, we have a First Aide room on the second level..." an airport employee offered as he hunkered down next to them. Aggravated at several people snapping pictures of them with their phones, Sully nodded in relief, turning to Matthew with quick instructions to retrieve their belongings and meet them upstairs.

The Nurse Practitioner on duty arrived with a portable stretcher, and he helped Sully to assist Michaela onto the rolling table, then quickly maneuvered past gawking bystanders as one of the police officers began ordering people to stand back and give them room.

The shooter's intended target followed to make sure Michaela would be all right. They each glanced at the man on the floor as they passed by and saw that he was just coming to, immediately arguing with the officers and angrily cursing at anyone within view, especially his ex wife.

Though Michaela continually insisted that she was fine as they wheeled her into the elevator, the children hovered around her anxiously, their worry largely due to the shocking sight of blood staining the white shirt.

OOOOOOOOO

"You were lucky," the Nurse Practitioner, Bill Pearsons said as he began medicating and bandaging Michaela's side. "The bullet just grazed you. You must have had an angel looking out for you," he added with a twinkle.

"Yes, indeed." Michaela nodded, wincing a little at the sting of the antiseptic, and then smiling at her husband sitting in a chair across the small room. Sully managed a small smile, but quickly looked away as he struggled with inner turmoil. Michaela gazed at her husband, trying to figure out what may be bothering him, and wishing fervently that they were already home and alone.

"There, that should do it," the nurse announced several minutes later as he turned to discard the bandage wrappings. Just then, a knock was heard at the door to the room, and a uniformed EMT stuck his head inside at the NP's request.

"You guys need us, Bill?" the paramedic asked Pearsons.

Glancing at him and then back at Michaela, the NP offered, "It's up to you, but, I don't think you need to go to the hospital, unless you want to. Your baby's heartbeat sounds fine. And since you're a doctor yourself..." he added with a knowing smile, acknowledging a medical colleague.

"No, I don't suppose that is necessary," she agreed, returning his smile. "...Do _you_ Sully?" Michaela asked, striving to reconnect with her unexpectedly distant husband.

He shrugged noncommittally. "I don't guess so...whatever you think."

Michaela stared at him for a few moments, willing him to meet her eyes, but his gaze remained fixed on nothing, his expression pensive. She thought she saw the muscles in his jaw flex as if he were clenching his teeth.

"Well, we're done here," the NP finished, extending a hand to help her down. Michaela naturally looked to Sully for assistance, as he normally would be right there with his hand out, but he merely rose to his feet, juggling jackets and bags. Sighing softly and wondering about her husband's odd behavior, she accepted the other man's hand and he helped her down from the examining table.

"I wonder if...the gunman is still out there," Michaela wondered quietly, glancing toward her husband as he stepped near.

"No ma'am, they took him away in a police car a few minutes ago," the EMT assured as he held the door open for her.

In the outer office, the kids jumped to their feet, rushing to her side quickly. "Hey guys, be careful," Sully warned gently, stationing himself close to his wife's injured right side.

"Mom, are ya alright?" Brian asked, the others echoing as the little boy hovered near.

"Yes, I'm fine, Brian," Michaela responded, smiling lovingly down at her concerned son and into the eyes of her other three children, before glancing over at the woman just rising from a chair in the corner.

"I wanted to tell you again how sorry I am for getting you involved in this," Rachel Reed murmured, her eyes misty with emotion. "I...I should have just stayed in that stall, I..."

"No, Rachel. He would have found you sooner or later," Michaela answered sincerely, reaching a hand to the woman smilingly. "And everything worked out for the best."

"But...you're _hurt_..."

"I'll be fine. It's just a scratch, I'll be as good as new in no time," she assured the guilt ridden woman.

Just then, uniformed police officers entered the small room, having waited to give the NP time to finish his work.

"Dr. Quinn-Sully, we need to get a statement from you now..." one of them ordered gently.

"All right, officer," Michaela agreed, making her way to a chair at the wall.

"I'm gonna go bring the Escalade up to the door," Sully offered quietly, nodding at his wife broodingly as he made his exit. Her eyes followed him, wondering what was on his mind so heavily. She had to force herself to concentrate on the officers' questions.

By the time Sully returned, the officers were finished and Michaela was in the process of bidding a warm goodbye to the other woman, who had decided to go back to finish what she had started, and put the house up for sale, before joining her family in a new life.

"Goodbye Michaela...Mr. Sully," she added, glancing at the doctor's very serious husband. "Take good care of your wife," she added with a tentative smile.

Sully nodded solemnly, wrapping an arm protectively around his wife's shoulders as they made their way out of the terminal.

OOOOOOOOO

It was a weary group that pulled up to the homestead an hour later. Sully turned off the Escalade's motor, allowing his head to drop forward as he sighed tiredly. Rubbing the back of his neck, which was tight with tension, he turned toward his wife dozing in the passenger seat.

"Michaela," he murmured, touching her shoulder lovingly as the children gathered their things to take into the house.

"Hmm?" she stirred, opening her eyes and smiling at the very welcome sight of their home. "Oh thank goodness," she sighed. "All I want to do right now is lie down in my own bed," she declared decidedly.

"Then that's just what you'll do," her husband replied, exiting his door and coming around to her side of the vehicle.

"Kids, make sure everything is taken inside," Sully instructed as he scooped his wife into his arms, amid a chorus of 'Yes, Sir.'

"Sully...I can walk..." Michaela began, but he shushed her.

"I know ya can...but I like carryin' ya," he insisted, his expression serious as he turned to negotiate the steps.

"Brian...get my keys outta my pocket, son," Sully instructed, turning sideways to give the boy room to reach in and find Sully's key ring.

Securing them, he ran ahead to unlock and open the door, swinging it wide for his parents to enter as the others grabbed their belongings and watched, glancing at each other and sensing something wasn't quite right with their father.

As Sully maneuvered his wife through the opening, she grinned at him and murmured, "It seems we've done this several times before, Mr. Sully," hoping he would give her his customary dimpled smile and sweet kiss...but he merely glanced at her and kept walking.

As she ascended the steps in her husband's strong arms, Michaela tried not to wince as the bandage on her side pulled uncomfortably. Sully carried her into their room and set her down gently on the bed.

"It's chilly in here. I'll get a fire goin' as soon as I make sure the kids obeyed," he murmured, disappearing out the door before she could say a word.

She gazed after him, hearing his footfalls on the steps. Shaking her head softly, she heaved a tired sigh as she slowly began removing her jacket.

Several minutes went by, and Sully came back in with an armload of firewood, placing it next to the hearth and making short work of setting and lighting a fire. Swiveling, he silently regarded his wife, standing at her vanity in just her slacks and bra, looking at herself in the mirror.

She had taken off her brand new maternity t-shirt, sadly dropping it into the wastebasket as it was beyond repair and disturbingly stained, then stopped to give a loving caress to her stomach, thankful beyond words that nothing worse had happened.

Realizing Sully was staring at her, she smiled softly and met his eyes, but was unable to read their expression.

"Sully? What are you looking at?" she murmured, trying to be playful and coax him out of his somber mood.

"You," he answered softly, pressing his lips together as he tried to control his emotions, his promise to Elizabeth weighing heavy on his mind...

Needing to be in his arms, Michaela held out her hand to him and he acquiesced, moving forward and allowing her to grasp his hand and tug him closer. He held back from embracing her, however, his brow furrowed.

"What _about_ me?" she asked softly, beginning to have an idea what was bothering him, and determined to get it out in the open before it became a festering sore.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, his eyes began to fill and he swallowed dryly, whispering, "You're injured... because 'a _me_."

"Sully..." she began, but he shook his head with a whispered, "Don't," and took her other hand, urging her to sit down on the vanity's seat. When she did, he went to his knees beside her, gazing up at her with such love, devotion...and sadness in his beautiful eyes, it made her heart clench.

"I didn't think things through, Michaela," he began, striving to articulate his tortured thoughts. "When I saw that gun pointed at ya...I about panicked. All I could think of was..._rescuin__'_ ya." He shook his head, pressing his lips together tightly as he sniffled a ragged breath. "I can't believe I did somethin' so _stupid_ – knock a guy out that's holdin' a gun aimed at my pregnant wife?" he ground out self-deprecatingly. "You coulda been killed!" he added emotively.

"But I _wasn__'__t_," she pointed out quietly, gently disengaging one of her hands from his and bringing it to his face, softly caressing his clenched jaw.

At her tender touch, his eyes filled even more, one tear escaping and slowly descending down his cheekbone as he took another shuddering breath, murmuring, "Do you realize how close you came to _dyin__'_?" Lowering his gaze and laying his hand gently against the bandage on her side, he shook his head in abject misery. "An inch or two to the left and that bullet woulda killed you– and the baby, too." Raising his face to hers again, tears now streaming from his eyes, he whispered, "I couldn't a lived with it – especially knowin' it was by my own hand."

"Oh, Sweetheart..." Michaela whispered. Now in tears herself, she drew him into her arms and let him vent his emotions, his face against the soft swell of her breast above the lace edge of her bra. Nearly sobbing, he drew his arm around her left side and held on, his shoulders shaking as the dam broke all the way, the stress of the day and the horror of the close call taking its toll.

Her fingers gently threaded through the waves of his hair as his tears wet her skin, her husband's gentle heart twisted in agony by the bizarre occurrence at the terminal. As she held him, his words of love and devotion after their lovemaking in Boston came back to her consciousness... _"__I__ need __you __so __much,__ '__Chaela, __just __to __exist...if __I __lost __you...my __heart __would __burst __and __I__'__d...__just __bleed__ to __death...__"_ her sweet husband had vowed.

Tears slipping silently down her own cheeks as she murmured soft words of love and comfort to him, pressing soft kisses to his hair, her heart filled to bursting with love for this man who cared for her so deeply. The depth of his devotion never ceased to amaze and warm her heart.

OOOOOOOOO

The kids had been silently going about the motions of getting ready for bed, each one quiet and thoughtful as the events of the day turned in their minds.

Colleen stepped into the hallway, intent on visiting the restroom, when she heard the muffled sounds of someone sobbing in her parents' room. Concerned, she stepped to their door and listened, realizing it was their father, obviously very upset. Placing a hand on the doorknob with the intention of offering comfort, she hesitated and changed her mind, a pensive expression on her face. The thought of her handsome, hero father upset to the point of sobbing, tore at her heart.

Hannah came to their room's entrance and saw her sister across the hall, obviously listening at their parents' door. Colleen noticed and making a quick decision, turned and grabbed her sister's hand, drawing her down the hall to their brothers' open door as Hannah asked, "Colleen...what is it?" Gently pushing her sister inside, Colleen closed the door behind them.

"What's wrong?" Matthew asked, sitting up in bed where he had already retired as Brian finished slipping his pajama top over his head and climbed into his own bed.

The girls sat down on their brothers' beds as Colleen glanced toward the door, then at each of her siblings. "Dad's upset...I heard him in their room just now...he's crying."

"Crying?" Hannah breathed, instantly concerned for her precious father, turning her eyes toward the door as if that would allow her to actually see him.

"Gosh..." Brian whispered, drawing his knees up to his chin, and wrapping his arms around them tightly. He couldn't recall a time when his strong, brave father was so upset over something that he actually cried.

Colleen nodded, unconsciously raising one hand to nervously bite on a fingernail. "I guess he's upset that mom was hurt..."

"Yeah...maybe we should _do_ something..." Hannah wondered aloud, truly wanting to go and make sure her father was all right.

Matthew hadn't said a word, but remarks he overheard from people at the airport as he went to retrieve their belongings came back to his mind. "_I never saw anything like it, the guy threw some kind of can or bottle and hit the gunman in the head - dead on!" "He's the woman's husband, and he wasn't going to take any chances, that's for sure." "He was her hero, no doubt about it – that gunman would have shot her for sure." "From where I was crouching, I could see the man had the gun aimed at her stomach! What kind of evil man would do such a thing?"_

Tossing these observations around in his mind with the fact that their hero father was now dissolved in tears, made the young man ponder. _Maybe __he__'__s __just __real __glad __she__'__s __all __right, __and__ he __was __able__ to __save __her..._he mused, knowing how much in love his parents were and how his father had proven time and again that he would defend his family at all costs. The image of his father looking into their grandmother's eyes and softly declaring he would protect his family with his life rose to the surface of his mind.

Scanning the worried faces of his three siblings, Matthew took a deep breath and glanced toward the closed door himself. "Look you guys...don't worry about it, okay?" he advised softly. "Whatever it is, it's between _them,_and probably none of our business. Mom'll take care of him."

The other three nodded, knowing this had proven true so many times in the past.

"True," Hannah whispered, comforted and assured by her older brother's wisdom.

"Now, go on to bed you two. I don't know about you, but I'm worn out. Good night," he added in gentle finality.

The girls got up obediently and crossed to the door. Colleen paused and looked back, sending her brother a grateful smile. "Thanks, Matthew. 'Night."

OOOOOOOOO

The fire crackled softly in the hearth, warming the room comfortably as Sully pulled back from his wife, a little embarrassed by his outburst, and swiping at his eyes with the back of one hand.

Smiling lovingly, she leaned in and placed both hands at his jaw line, giving him a gentle kiss. Smiling into his eyes as she gently smoothed tears off his cheeks with her thumbs, she ordered softly, "Come to bed, sweetheart."

He nodded and tiredly obeyed, truly wanting this day to just be over. Removing his clothing and helping his injured wife slip into a soft comfortable gown, he helped her get settled and crawled over her to his side of the bed, pulling the covers up around them warmly.

Once in his arms, Michaela carefully turned towards him in the luminous light of the full moon shining in the window.

Lifting a hand to softly cup his cheek, she whispered, "Now, may I tell you how _I_ view your actions?"

"'Chaela..." he shook his head, truthfully not sure he could take much more, so raw were his emotions.

"Sshh, let me speak," she whispered, moving a thumb gently over his lips. He shrugged and closed his eyes for a moment as she went on. "Do you have any idea how frightened I was, standing there in that terminal with a gun pointed at me?" He opened his eyes and gazed into hers, striving to let her speak and not interrupt with arguments.

"I was terrified," she continued. "And I prayed that you would come and rescue us." When he made as if to argue, she went on gently, "Let me finish. I was in such a quandary – I couldn't just move aside and allow that man to murder his ex wife, right before my eyes – but neither did I relish getting shot myself. I knew time was running out...and somehow I knew the officers were not going to fire first. I saw in his eyes he was going to shoot me, and in the instant I saw you throw something at him, I was so relieved. You are my hero, Sully."

He shook his head miserably, "But he _shot_ you!"

"Sully...let me ask you something. When you threw your tomahawk and killed that rattlesnake – you saved my life, and you were my hero, right?"

"What's that got to do..." he argued, fidgeting with the edge of the blanket, but she softly cut him off.

"And when you threw the toy and knocked Tom Drexler out – you saved my life. You were my hero then, too. Right?"

"Yeah..." he hesitated, wondering what point she was making.

"You were my hero because you saved me from harm and evil intent. But, what if Tom Drexler had nicked my neck with that knife as he fell? Would that have canceled out the fact that you saved me from his intention of killing me?"

He was silent as he thought on her words, never having pictured his heroic acts going _wrong._

"You saved my life today, my sweet, brave husband," Michaela declared softly but firmly, gazing steadily into his eyes. "You had mere seconds to come up with a plan and you took action – and it _worked_. I'm fine...the baby's fine...Rachel Reed is fine...thanks to _you_."

Turning further in his arms, careful of her bandage, she leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss to her hero's lips. "Thank you for saving me...and for once again being my hero. I love you."

"Love you, too," he murmured, taking her carefully in his embrace, her words beginning to assuage the awful self-reproach with which he had been tortured since the instant the gun had fired.

Kissing him once more, she pulled back and whispered, "Now, I don't know about you – but I'm going to say a prayer of thanks for your perfect aim and some bullet-deflecting angels."

At that, he actually chuckled a tiny bit, amazed that she could be so upbeat about the situation. He had half expected her to be skittish and fearful after such an ordeal. But here she was, trying to make _him_ feel better.

"What _was_ it that you threw at him, by the way?" she asked curiously, settling in with a hand lovingly caressing his warm, bare chest.

Sully snickered at that. "A can of Lysol."

"Lysol?" Michaela laughed, amazed.

"Well, I looked around, and the only thing near me was a janitor's cart, so I crawled over to it. The only item with any weight that I could use was a full can of Lysol. And sure enough...it did the trick," he added with a twinkle and a tiny shrug.

Michaela chuckled, reaching for his left hand and bringing it to her lips. Kissing his fingers and pressing a kiss to his wedding band, she quipped, "What did that officer say on our honeymoon in Denver before they arrested you? Something about anything can be a weapon in the hands of an expert?"

Sully chuckled and shook his head at the memory.

"_You_, my husband, are truly an expert with these hands...an expert in so many things," she added teasingly, as he smiled lovingly into her eyes. "Have I ever told you I love your hands?" she asked softly.

Gazing into her moonlit eyes, he shook his head with a soft smile and another shrug. "They're just hands..."

"Mmm, no," she argued softly. "Your hands are _perfect_." Leaning back enough to match her hand to his and entwine their fingers, she continued, "I love your fingers, so long, strong, and supple," she whispered, punctuating each word with a kiss to a digit. Turning it, she murmured, "I love your palms, so strong, so warm, and just calloused enough to be rugged...able to perform a full day's work in the barn...or building the new room...or chopping wood..." she detailed, breathing soft kisses to the warm skin as he lay there watching, lost in her ministrations. Then pressing his palm against her cheek, she continued "...Yet gentle and soft against my face. I love when your hands touch me," she added dreamily, turning her face to meet his gaze, allowing all the love in her heart to pour forth through the windows to her soul.

Nearly speechless, he whispered, "'Chaela..." as he leaned forward to press his warm lips to hers. A kiss of gratitude to God for his 'expert' hands and guardian angels – both of which allowed him to still have his beloved Michaela in his arms and in his life.

Settling down for the night several minutes later, completely relaxed to be in each other's arms and back home again in their room, the lovers bid each other good night and shared one more lingering kiss.

Neither knew their daughter stood outside their door listening.

Colleen smiled happily upon hearing her beloved father's chuckle, their whispered words of love, and the soft sounds of kissing, and nodded in satisfaction as she turned toward her room.

_Mom took care of him, just like Matthew said._

OOOOOOOOO

"Everything looks fine with the baby, right on schedule," Dr. Bernard commented after examining Michaela at her nineteen-week checkup two days later. "This is a nasty scratch on your side...though I understand it could have been much worse. You must have had an angel watching over you," he added with a smile as he checked her wound for infection.

Michaela smiled and nodded, though she winced a little as she moved to sit up. Glancing at Sully's face as he assisted her, she murmured, "Yes, I certainly did." He met her eyes and smiled.

"According to the newspaper, you are quite the hero, Sully. Is it right - you knocked the gunman down and saved your wife and the man's intended target?" he asked conversationally as he applied a fresh bandage to Michaela's side.

"I guess you could say that," Sully replied in characteristic humility, leaning to accept his wife's proffered kiss.

"Sully is quite the 'mountain man', and I'm very blessed," Michaela complimented. "This isn't the first time he has saved me with that uncanny aim of his."

"That right?" the doctor returned, moving to the counter to make notes on her chart, adding nonchalantly, "Sounds like you would have made a good pro baseball player, Sully."

Sully smiled into his wife's eyes, allowing himself to become immersed for a moment in their beauty to assuage the hurt that still came when he thought about how his dream had been so cruelly ripped from him so many years ago. "Maybe so," he responded softly.

After a few minutes, the doctor turned toward them as he listened once more to the baby's heartbeat, smilingly offering the earpieces of his stethoscope to Sully, who grinned and took them without hesitation, making a mental note to do this at home with Michaela's own stethoscope.

"At nineteen weeks, your baby's sensory development is in full swing," the doctor commented for Sully's benefit. "The brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. He or she is able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about talking to him or her, to allow the baby to recognize to your voice."

Michaela smiled softly, thinking that was something he didn't need to be encouraged to do, raising a hand to caress her husband's hair as he bent over her, excitedly listening to the sounds coming from her belly. Sully 'talked' to the baby nearly every day. _This __baby __will __surely __know __its __father__'__s __voice,__ the __moment __it __is __born_, she mused.

"How big is he now, doc?" Sully asked, marveling once again at the strong sound of their baby's heartbeat, not realizing he consistently pronounced it a _he_.

"Oh, somewhere between eight to ten ounces and measuring six inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. The arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of the body now," Dr. Bernard quietly provided.

"I feel like the baby has grown tremendously in the past week, as have _I_," Michaela commented sardonically as she watched her husband's expression of awe.

Checking her chart, the doctor concurred, "You've gained fourteen pounds since your first obstetrics visit, which is normal." With a teasing grin, he added, "Only ten ounces of which is the baby."

"Yes, I _know_," she retorted with a wry half grin.

"No wonder - you've been eatin' everything you can get your hands on," Sully teased, chuckling as she made a face at him as he added, "But at least ya ain't _waddling_ yet."

"Oh, I'm sure that I will," she lamented, dreading those final months she had heard such stories about.

The doctor smiled understandingly and nodded, asking, "Well, do either of you have any questions or concerns?"

"Um, doc, sometimes she gets 'stabbing' pains, like when she's tired or changing position or something..." Sully mentioned, handing the stethoscope back.

"That is mostly likely 'round ligament pain'," the physician explained. "It's nothing to be alarmed about, unless it becomes severe."

The couple exchanged looks, Michaela giving her husband her 'See...I told you so' gaze.

Knowing the concerned husband would benefit from something to do in which to help, their understanding doctor suggested, "Try gently massaging the achy ligaments, or use a heating pad or a warm cloth where it hurts."

Sully nodded thoughtfully, mentally planning an all out attack against the mysterious pains the next time they caused his precious wife to suffer.

"Is there any new 'wonder cream' discovery to prevent the inevitable stretch marks, Dr. Bernard?" Michaela asked with a half grin, placing her hand lovingly on her stomach as if to 'soften the blow' of her complaint.

"No, nothing new, I'm afraid," he responded. "As a physician, you know that regular exercise, especially _walking_, will not only strengthen your heart, but the increased muscle tone has been proven to greatly minimize the tearing of the skin that results in the scars."

Michaela nodded as Sully grinned, happy to have found something else with which he could help and participate. "Well, I know what we'll be doin' every day, then. A couple of times up and down our hundred-yard driveway'll give ya exercise."

The doctor nodded with a grin at his colleague's doting husband. "Yes, just don't over do it," he cautioned, glancing up to see Sully raise one of Michaela's hands to his lips for a reverent kiss.

"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll see you four weeks from now," he grinned as he moved to the door of the examination room.

"Thank you, Dr. Bernard," Michaela responded.

"Yeah, see ya, doc," Sully murmured, already totally focused on helping his wife off the table, being careful of her bandage as she smiled lovingly into his eyes.

The doctor smiled and shook his head, thinking he'd never seen a couple more in love – or more excited – about becoming parents. One would almost think they didn't have any other children...

OOOOOOOOO

"I hope he's alright," Michaela worried as Sully mentioned their faithful friend's strange disappearance. They had noticed Wolf was nowhere around upon their return from Boston, but had assumed he would be along directly, like he always had before. But after two days, there still had been no sign of him.

"Robert E. said he took off the first day after we left, and he hasn't seen him since," Sully reiterated as he negotiated a turn on their way home from the doctor's office.

"That doesn't seem like Wolf..." Michaela pondered, staring out the passenger window at a billboard for a family counseling center, which read, "_You__'__re_ ready to welcome your baby into the family...are you sure everyone else is?"

"Well, he's been gone before...just never in the middle of winter like this...but he can take care of himself," her husband returned. They drove along in silence for a few minutes, and then Sully reached over to grasp her hand and give her a sweet smile.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" he asked, knowing intuitively that she was pondering something.

She smiled at him lovingly, striving to put her thoughts in order, the billboard bringing things into focus.

"Sully...does Brian seem...has he said anything to you...about the baby, I mean?"

Sully pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Not really. I mean, I guess he's okay with it. Though he did ask me one day in the barn how much longer it would be before things got back to 'normal'," he said with a chuckle.

"What did you tell him?" she asked with a grin.

"I told 'im things were never goin' back to the way they were before, but that wasn't necessarily a 'bad' thing, just somethin' we'll have to get used to."

"What did he say?"

"He wanted to know why, and I said that the baby at first would need lots of care and lots of our attention, but that wouldn't mean we would love him any less. He wanted to know what kind of care, so I tried to tell him, but I don't know how much he grasped."

"There must be something we can do...I don't want Brian to ever feel like the baby is taking his place in the family..." Michaela ruminated, offering a silent prayer for God to help.

"We won't let that happen," Sully assured her, though he'd had thoughts along that line himself. "Everything'll work out. You'll see."

OOOOOOOOO

"How was your first day back after the holiday?" Michaela asked the children as a whole, passing a bowl of peas to Colleen.

"Fine." "Boring." "Great!" "Okay," they said in turn.

"Well, Hannah, since you thought it was 'great', how about tellin' us about it," Sully spoke up with a wink at his daughter.

Hannah grinned, accepting the peas from her sister. "Well...there's this new boy, he started school today...his name is Richard..." she paused as Colleen turned startled eyes on her, but quickly put her attention back on her plate.

"A boy, huh?" Sully asked, reaching for the plate of chicken. "What's he like?"

"He's nice...and funny...and his family has horses, too..."

"Well, you certainly found out a lot about him on the first day..." Michaela commented, only half listening as she was concentrating on filling her plate.

"Hannah's got a boyfriend! Hannah's got a boyfriend!" Brian chanted, ducking as his sister swatted at him.

"He's not my boyfriend...he's just nice, is all," she corrected, not noticing Colleen's glance and thoughtful expression.

"He ride our bus?" Matthew inquired, but paused as everyone heard the unmistakable whine and scratching against the front door.

"Wolf!" Brian hollered, scrambling from his chair and racing to the door. Swinging it wide, the family saw their beloved pet, tired, dirty, and seemingly upset about something.

"C'mon Wolf, it's cold out there," Brian encouraged as his father rose from his chair to come to the door.

Wolf refused to enter the house, just whined and fixed his eyes on Sully's as if he wanted something in particular.

"What is it, boy?" his master inquired, hunkering down beside the beleaguered dog.

Wolf whined and barked, trotting toward the porch steps, then turning back again, as if he wanted Sully to follow.

"What does he want?" Michaela asked from her seat in the dining room.

"I think he wants me to follow him," he murmured, standing and reaching for his jacket.

"But Sully...what about dinner?"

"It could be important, Michaela. I'll eat when I get back. You guys stay here."

Moving quickly to the barn, he didn't waste time with a saddle, just jumped on Prince's back and maneuvered him out of the barn, ordering, "Follow Wolf, boy." The horse set off quickly as if he understood the command perfectly.

They followed the dog through the back trails of the property, up and down hills and even across several streams, until he came to a stop beside a thicket, a triangular hole in the center. Wolf disappeared inside. Sully slid off Prince's back, hunkering down at the entrance to the den.

Though the interior was shadowy, Sully could make out what looked like an injured female malamute. Two pups lay close by, nestled on their paws as they watched him. The female hadn't reacted when Sully crouched at the opening of her home.

Wolf, sitting facing the other dog and the entrance, trained his eyes on Sully and whined softly, begging his beloved master to _do_ something.

Sully understood immediately. This was Wolf's family. His ladylove was injured. From the looks of things, she had been injured for days or even weeks, her leg looked infected, as if it had been caught in something.

"Aww girl. It's gonna be okay," he crooned, wedging himself carefully inside enough to get to the female, reaching a hand slowly to see if she would let him touch her. She didn't move, just blinked her eyes slowly, staring straight ahead.

The pups began to whine, not understanding what this strange creature was who had just entered their home.

Sully was in a dilemma. He could plainly see the female needed help, but he wasn't sure how to provide it – try to get her out of there and to Michaela or to their vet, or try to bring someone to _her_...

Whatever he did, he knew it had to be soon...

OOOOOOOOO

Brian was clearing the table, the girls loading the dishwasher, and Michaela placing Sully's full plate inside the refrigerator as Matthew put another log on the fire, when they heard Prince's hoofs clip clopping outside.

"Dad's back!" Brian hollered, beating everyone to the door. Michaela flipped the outside lights on as they watched Sully pull up to the corral, slide off his horse, elbow the gate, and watch the horse trot in and find his way to the barn, slipping inside the partially open door.

Sully turned toward the house, bent over against the cold breeze coming down off the peak. The family backed up as he entered and made a beeline for the warmth of the fireplace.

"Sully? Is everything all right? You were gone so long..." Michaela asked, placing a hand gently on Brian's shoulder and steering around him to go to her husband.

Sully sniffled, his nose running slightly from the brisk January night air. Turning, his eyes met hers for a moment, before carefully removing his hands from the inside of his jacket, bringing out two adorable black and white malamute pups.

"Guys, I'd like to introduce you to Wolf's son and daughter."


	15. The Puppies and The Furnace

**CHAPTER 15 – The Puppies and The furnace**

"Wow, really?" Brian exclaimed as the family gathered around the newcomers. Sully set the pups in front of the hearth, and they looked up uncertainly at all of the strange faces looking down at them. Sully being the first human they had ever seen, they weren't sure if they should be frightened...but _he_ had been nice...

"Aww, they're so cute," the girls exclaimed, lowering to their knees.

Brian slid to the floor and patted his knee, causing one of the pups to immediately trot over and flop down against him.

"Look Mom! This one likes me!" Brian exclaimed, picking the dog up in his arms and gazing up at his parents with a precious, lopsided smile, his new tooth only halfway in.

"That's the male, Brian. The other's the female," Sully offered, shucking out of his jacket and handing it to his wife, then turning toward the fireplace to warm his hands. Michaela drew the suede jacket to her chest as if embracing it as she walked the few steps to the pegs by the door. Allowing a moment to press her face into the leather and breathe in the heady aroma before reaching up to place the garment on the hook, she then turned to rejoin the others by the fireplace, catching her husband's eye. She blushed as he winked and grinned, having seen her actions.

"She's so cute," Colleen crooned, reaching toward the other pup, only to draw her hand back as the tiny female let out a baby growl and snapped at her hand.

Colleen looked up at her father, her feelings slightly hurt, and Sully tried to smile encouragingly. "Aw, just...give her time, Colleen. She's been through a lot."

At his wife's questioning look, he took her hand and tugged her behind him into the kitchen, partly because he was hungry and wanted his dinner, but also to speak out of earshot. The kids gathered around the two fluffy 'Mini-Wolfs' as Matthew quickly took a picture and sent it in a text to update his girlfriend on the latest happening in his life.

"Wolf led me way up in the hills to a den – and his family," he began as Michaela took his plate out of the refrigerator and put it in the microwave to re-warm his dinner. "His ladylove had gotten hurt somehow, like her leg had been caught in a trap, and had festered somethin' awful. I made a small travois to bring her back, but when I went back inside the den...she was dead," he finished softly, staring straight ahead and squinching his eyes a bit at the disturbing memory.

The timer dinged, and Michaela removed his plate, placing it in front of her husband as he shook himself out of his reverie and picked up his fork. Michaela slid into the chair near him and watched him eat for a few minutes before asking, "What did you do then?"

He took a large drink from his coffee cup, glancing at her sadly and murmuring, "I buried her out there...couldn't get Wolf to come back with me, so I brought the pups back. When I left, he was just laying by her grave, lookin' heartbroken."

"Oh, poor Wolf...and we didn't even know he _had_ a sweetheart..." Michaela lamented, gazing into the living room at the kids on the floor playing with the male puppy and trying to coax the female into trusting them.

"I think she musta been the dog that ran away last year from that family on the other side of Loop Road. Remember, they put out a reward and looked for her for weeks, but never found her," Sully murmured as he continued eating. "I'd heard, though, that they mistreated her, and maybe even beat her, which was probably why she ran off..."

"And she's been living alone in the woods all this time?" Michaela wondered aloud, rising from her chair to stand at the edge of the fireplace to watch the kids, smiling at Brian, who was giggling sweetly as the puppy licked his face.

"Yep," Sully returned. Then thinking about it, he laughed. "Now we know where Wolf disappeared to every now and then, huh?"

"Sully...do you think the occasions when he would kill a rabbit or squirrel and we would see him trotting off with it...he was taking it to _her_?"

"The Romeo, bringin' gifts to schmooze the lady," Sully teased.

"Well, apparently it worked," Michaela returned with a twinkle in her eye as she took his empty plate from him and leaned to put it in the dishwasher.

"Sure did...I'll have to remember that," he chuckled, winking at his amused wife when she glanced his way.

"You do that, Mr. Sully," she immediately returned, "Though I'd say flowers and candy would work better on _this_ lady."

Sully laughed out loud, swooping in to nuzzle and kiss her neck, whispering, "Or dill pickles?"

"On occasion," she agreed with a chuckle, wrapping her arm around him as they stood together watching the children play with their pet's offspring.

"But Sully...two puppies?" Michaela asked worriedly, thinking about the mess and the amount of work that would involve.

Sully laughed, knowing what she was thinking. "I know, I know, two puppies is a lot of work. But see...I've got an idea..." he murmured, turning so he could wrap his arms around her while gazing into the living room, watching Brian. The little boy was carefully holding the soft, furry puppy, nuzzling its ear, obviously already completely smitten.

"What idea?" Michaela asked interestedly, as she leaned comfortably back in her husband's warm arms.

"Well, I been thinkin' about that conversation me and Brian had about how much work babies are...how about if we tell Brian that the puppies are _his_, only he has to be totally responsible for their care and training – includin', of course, cleanin' up after them at first," he added with a chuckle.

Michaela grinned and nodded, thinking that an excellent idea, and one she had heard friends mention they had used to acclimate an older sibling to a new baby.

"Sounds like a plan, Mr. Sully."

"Mmm, I'm glad you approve, _Mrs_. Sully," he murmured, turning his attention completely to his fetching wife as he nuzzled her neck and nibbled softly on her ear.

"Have I ever told you, you have very sexy ears?" he whispered, teasingly running the tip of his tongue against her earlobe. It sent an immediate shiver of desire coursing through her body.

"Sully!" she whispered as she drew in a sharp breath, fighting valiantly for control.

"_What_?" he murmured, playfully innocent, but knowing very well that was an action that usually sent her spiraling toward the edge.

"Be..._have_," she stammered, trying not to snicker. She had _almost_ said, 'Be good', but stopped herself from giving him the opportunity to give his customary retort.

Turning in his arms with a chuckle, she slid her arms around his back and locked her fingers, leaning back to smile up at him lovingly. Then smiling contentedly, she leaned forward to cuddle in his arms, turning her face toward the children again. The male puppy looked so much like his father, she immediately thought of their beloved pet, now heartbroken at losing his mate.

Sighing softly, she murmured, "Do you think Wolf will be alright...?"

"Yeah. I'll leave him alone...let him grieve. He'll come on home when he's ready. He knows I took the pups," Sully murmured softly, sending a quick prayer up to God to look out for his grieving friend and help him stay warm until he rejoined his human family.

OOOOOOOOO

Later that night as the couple snuggled together in their bed, the fireplace in their room flickering brightly, Michaela lay in her husband's arms remembering Brian's deliriously happy expression when the male pup first climbed into his arms. This brought to mind yet another parallel between their lives and the lives of their ancestors.

"Sully...did you bring the puppies in the way you did...on purpose?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Huh?" he asked, not following.

Gazing into his eyes in the warm light, she could see he had forgotten. "Would you bring the journal here?" she asked with a soft grin.

"Sure," he murmured in that cute, clipped fashion she adored.

She sat up as he reached for it, being careful of her bandage, and gently took the volume from his hands. Turning to the section written in 1867, she scanned the pages, finally murmuring, "Here," as she cleared her throat.

"Do you remember when we read about her first Christmas in Colorado?"

"Yeah...but read it again anyway," he responded, snuggling against her shoulder and brushing his lips against it as she began to read aloud.

_**December 24, 1867**_

_**My first Christmas Eve in Colorado Springs with the children has come to an end. What a day! This morning we woke up to snow flurries, which continued throughout the day. When the time came for the church dance, it had turned into a full-scale blizzard and we were stranded at home. Colleen had worked so hard to finish her dress on time and had been so excited. It broke my heart when she began to cry. I told the children that Christmas is not about parties or decorating trees or getting dressed up – that it is about the birth of Jesus. But they were all so sad, all I could think of to take their minds off of how things had turned out was to begin singing Christmas carols. Thankfully, that worked and lightened everyone's mood. Later, as we sat down together for dinner, Brian asked me if I thought Charlotte would mind if he called me 'Ma' too. Tears immediately sprang to my eyes, and with nods and smiles from Colleen and Matthew, I managed to tell my sweet little boy that I didn't think his real mother would mind a bit.**_

_**And then, the knock upon the door. Startled, I answered it...and it was Sully, standing out there in the blizzard! My heart sped up so...I was almost afraid he would hear it pounding. We haven't seen him, even once, since I took the bullet out of Chief Black Kettle's neck, after which we watched he and Wolf disappear into the hills. I asked him to come in and warm himself by the fire, and he obliged, hunched over from the freezing blizzard he had walked through from who knows where. Does he sleep outside? In a lean-to somewhere? Does he spend the winter at the Cheyenne camp with the Indians? I have no idea...he's so mysterious and quiet...but oh so exquisitely handsome. The amazingly vivid blue of his eyes makes my knees become weak, and my mind becomes a blur. I would be utterly mortified if he could read my thoughts, but when he merely glances my way...sometimes I see images of us together...intimately. Oh my, my face is beet red from just writing those words... **_

_**As he stood at the fireplace, he suddenly produced, as if by magic, an adorable wolf puppy and handed it to Brian with a chuckling, "Merry Christmas, Brian." Brian instantly became completely smitten. Then, Sully produced a handcrafted comb for Colleen's hair and a gift for Matthew...and finally...he handed me a shingle for my practice that he had carved himself. It is the most wonderful Christmas gift I've ever received...and the look he gave me when I thanked him...the smile on his handsome face...I don't think I've ever seen him smile before...and I know I've never encountered a finer looking man in my entire life. Oh, if he only knew what he does to me... **_

"Don't you see? You came in tonight and did the exact same thing!" she concluded with a chuckle.

"But...I didn't say 'Merry Christmas, Brian'," he argued facetiously.

"Oh _you_," she fussed teasingly, gently pushing at his chest.

Wrapping his arms carefully around her and nuzzling her neck, he whispered, "And what about _you_? Do _you_ do the very same thing? See intimate images of us together every time I glance your way?"

"_That_, Mr. Sully, is none of your business," she returned sassily, but with a teasing twinkle.

"Oh ho! Is that _right_?" he chuckled.

"That's right."

"No use denyin' it, I know you crave my body," he teased, laughingly ducking when she pretended to try and slap his face.

"Ah ah ah. You told me once that you'd rather _kiss_ my face than _slap_ it...remember?" he murmured, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he gently grasped her hand, hauling it to his lips for a lingering kiss.

"Yes," she admitted softly, demurely glancing down. "And that is still true."

"Speakin' of slaps...you never told me what David said ta get ya so mad that you slapped him..." he prompted, waggling his eyebrows, her hand still captured as he drew one of her fingers between his lips and gazed into her eyes.

Remembering the embarrassing moment, Michaela actually blushed a little and cleared her throat, glancing away and then back. Sully's eyebrows furrowed. "What? Tell me," he urged softly.

"Well, if you must know...he was telling me that he would 'take me back' in spite of the fact that I had, as he put it, 'dirtied' myself with _you_...and all I would need to do would be to...shall we say...perform a _service_ for him," she ended with a meaningful glance.

All traces of mirth left Sully's face, his eyes instantly becoming like two pieces of flint. "He _said_ that to you?" he asked incredulously.

She nodded, blinking her eyes at him matter-of-factly, adding for good measure, "In _graphic_ detail."

"What a...a...class A _jerk_ that guy is! To say something like that...to another man's _wife_!"

"That means absolutely nothing to David – it never did."

"If...if I'da known that at the party...I'da beat him to a pulp!" he ground out with intense feeling.

She smiled then and nodded, disengaging her hand from his and raising it to cup his tense face. "I know, that's why I didn't tell you then. And you would have been my hero. But this time...it felt good to deliver the blow _myself_. I think I put all six years into that slap," she added cheekily.

Drawing in a calming breath, Sully mentally shook off the momentary rage her revelation had kindled. Then, smiling proudly, he murmured, "You sure did...that was a perfect handprint you left on his face."

"It was, wasn't it," she stated smugly. "That was the first time I think I've ever seen David rendered speechless. And it was worth getting written up in the Globe to be the one to finally do it," she added with a chuckle.

"I couldn't 'a said it better myself," Sully agreed. "And by the way...I was dang proud to walk outta there with you on my arm, Mrs. Sully."

"Not half as proud as I was to _be_ on your arm, Mr. Sully."

"You wanna bet?" he murmured, as both dissolved in joyous laughter, sinking down together in their bed.

OOOOOOOOOO

Michaela stirred, wishing she could settle back into the wonderfully happy dream she had been having, but something nagging and persistent was making that impossible. Opening her eyes, she realized it was early morning and she needed to make a now routine trip down the hall.

Turning her head, she glanced over at her husband lovingly as he lay on his side facing her, slumbering quietly, a lock of wavy hair falling across his forehead. Having been afraid he would move in his sleep and hurt her still healing injury, he had opted to just press himself against her and not wrap her in his arms while they slept.

Gently slipping from the covers so as not to disturb him, Michaela maneuvered out of bed, feeling around in the pre-dawn shadows for her slippers and robe. Shivering slightly, she glanced over at the fireplace, wishing it were filled with its customary warm flames to combat the chill of the room.

Opening their bedroom door, she made her way out into the hall, shivering even more as the hall temperature seemed quite cold. _What__ does __Sully __have __the __thermostat __set __to? _She wondered as she glanced toward it.

She hurried on to the bathroom, took care of business, and was making her way back down the hall when she heard whimpering coming from behind the closed door to the boy's room. Opening it, she peeked inside, her eyes widening as she took in the mess.

_Oh __Brian...we __told __you __not __to __keep __the __puppies__ in __your __room__ last __night! _Michaela shook her head. Shivering again, she remembered about the thermostat and continued on to the end of the hall, peering at it. Shaking her head again, she turned it warmer, expecting to hear the tell tale sound of the blower kicking on, but heard only silence. _Fantastic. __This __is __going __to __be __a __wonderful __day..._

Making her way back inside her and Sully's room, she glanced at the clock. Five-thirty – an hour before the alarm would go off. Planning on waking Brian up a little early and making him clean up the mess in the room, Michaela turned to go downstairs and start her day.

Pausing to gaze down at the man she loved more fiercely than words could describe, she smiled softly, picturing the day he'd had the bad migraine when they were dating and she had stood in that same spot, dreaming of the day when they would be man and wife. _The__ reality __turned __out __to __be __even __better __than __the __dream_, she mused with a soft sigh. With one last lingering gaze at her virile husband, thinking with a smile how like a little boy he always looked when he was sleeping; she turned and tiptoed quietly out.

A few minutes later, the kettle on the stove, Michaela shivered again, rubbing her arms briskly. She glanced at the kitchen fireplace. Nothing for it but to make the fire herself, so she made her way over and picked up the poker, digging around for the coals from the night before. Finding none, she sighed and scraped an empty spot in the hearth to begin fire preparations, including her favorite shortcut – dryer lint and wood chips. The wispy lint caught fast and burned steady until the chips could take hold. Finished with that, she began maneuvering a heavy log carefully across the floor.

"Michaela Anne..." a masculine voice broke her concentration and she jumped slightly, turning her head to look sheepishly over at her husband.

"Whatdya think you're doin'?" he asked gently, hurrying to her and easily taking the log from her hands. "Why didn't ya wake me? You know I don't want ya movin' heavy stuff..." he fussed, quickly placing the log on the hearth and finishing the process.

"I know...I just...didn't have the heart to wake you, you were sleeping so soundly..." she murmured softly, making her way to a chair and lowering into it as she watched him. He had thrown his robe on, evidently in a hurry, as it wasn't even tied, and he hadn't even taken time to put on his house shoes.

"Aren't your feet cold?" she asked with soft concern.

He turned his head to glance at her with a grin and a shrug. "Nah. I'm tough."

Wholeheartedly agreeing with that assessment, she smiled back with her trademark half grin, murmuring, "Indeed," with an uplifted eyebrow.

He answered with a wink and turned back to his task.

With his wavy hair mussed from sleep, and bare, hairy legs revealed as he crouched at the kitchen hearth, Michaela mused that her husband was without a doubt the sexiest man in the world, no matter the circumstance. Smiling and totally in love, she sighed contentedly as she allowed herself to bask in her favorite sight.

Soon the room began to warm with the welcome cozy heat from the fire, just as the kettle began to boil on the stove. Sully automatically went to get it, pouring two cups of tea and bringing one to his wife.

"I think something is wrong with the furnace," she mentioned after taking a welcome sip of the hot liquid.

"I thought it was extra cold in here. I'll take a look at it in a minute. After I light the other two fires," he responded, sliding into a chair perpendicular to her and reaching for her hand as they both sipped their tea.

"Why'd you get up so early?" he wondered softly, allowing his eyes to caress her and loving the sexy way her hair always looked in the morning. He couldn't seem to help himself, he always wanted to comb it with his fingers, and raise it to his nose to breathe in its scent.

"We need to get Brian up early," she replied, one eyebrow raised meaningfully as she took another sip.

"Yeah?"

"Yes. The puppies are in their room."

Allowing his head to fall back with a sigh of 'defeat', he smiled and shook his head. "The mess bad?"

She cocked her eyebrow at him even more.

"That bad, huh," he stated more than asked.

"And I think _he_ should clean it up before he goes to school," she stated emphatically.

He nodded in agreement. Glancing at the clock, he offered, "We'll get 'im up in about a half hour, and I'll show him how."

Smiling lovingly, she reached out to caress his face, wincing as she moved wrong and her bandage pulled.

"Hey, watch that," Sully fussed, leaning to give her a soft kiss.

Michaela shivered again from the general cold air in the house, prompting Sully to grin and murmur, "I'm goin', I'm goin'," before finishing off his tea in two gulps and leaning to give her a quick smooch.

In no time, three pleasant fires were burning in the old homestead.

OOOOOOOOOO

"I've tried everything I know, I don't know what's wrong with it," Sully groused three hours later as he climbed up out of the cellar.

"What shall we do?" Michaela asked, standing near the fireplace and munching on some leftover dinner from the night before.

Sully stepped over the open hole, quickly closing the trap door. Turning and wiping his hands on a cloth, he glanced over at her, grinning when he saw she was eating again.

"Oh hush," she murmured when she saw his expression, knowing he was about to tease her. She placed a hand to her mouth while she swallowed.

"I'm gonna call Robert E., see if he'll take a look at it. Go from there," he answered, picking up the phone and making the call.

An hour later, Robert E. climbed up the ladder, Sully after him; both wiping their hands after Sully shut the trap door, tamping it securely down with his feet.

"I hate to say it, but I think it's just wore out, Sully."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that," the rancher intoned solemnly.

"It's old. Probably been down there forty years," his friend reiterated gently.

"Look...I'll call around, see if I can get ya a deal. I've got a few favors I can call in," the muscled mechanic grinned. "Can ya'll stay here for a few days with just the fireplaces for heat?"

"Yeah, we'll make it," Sully returned, reaching out and gripping the other man on the shoulder for a moment, he added, "Thanks, man. I'll owe ya."

"No problem. See ya later, Sully," he added, zipping up his jacket as Sully opened the front door for his friend.

Several minutes later, Sully touched the knob on their bedroom door, hearing his lovely wife through the wood slab softly singing _I __Just __Call __You __Mine._ He paused, smiling, and closed his eyes, reliving his gorgeous wife up on the flatbed trailer, pouring her heart out to him as she sang this song.

Turning the knob ever so slowly, he opened the door a crack, spying his beautiful spouse carefully leaning over with her back to him as she tucked in the edge of a clean sheet, her sweet voice starting the second verse of the song. Unable to move, he held his breath and simply watched and listened, adoring everything about her as she moved around the bed, happily completing a household chore. A chore that happened to bring back passionate memories that made his heart speed up.

As she reached the end of the song, hugging his pillow to her chest at the line, _everyone __calls __you __amazing, __yeah __- __I __just __call __you... __mine_, she suddenly felt his presence. Her voice fading to a stop, she raised her eyes and they locked with his as he pushed the door open and moved into the room, seeing that she realized he was watching.

He held her eyes as he slowly moved around the bed, making her skin tingle just like it did when they were dating. Coming to a stop in front of her, he reached out and gently took his pillow from her hands, tossing it into its place on the bed. Looking down, he reached out and lovingly caressed the rounded area that encased their child, then grasped both of her hands, drawing them up to his face and pressing his lips to them in a reverent kiss, his eyes drifting shut with emotion.

Swallowing, he breathed in deeply and opened his eyes, staring into hers for several moments, their eyes pouring out their feelings unashamedly.

"Have I told you lately, just how much I adore you, Mrs. Sully?" he whispered, his eyes twinkling.

She smiled softly, moving a finger to caress the perfect curves of his lips. "Yes...but I will never tire of hearing it," she whispered in return, one eyebrow rising with just a touch of flirtatiousness.

He grinned, releasing her hands and moving his up to gently cup her smooth face.

"I adore you...I'm crazy about you...I'm head over heels in love with you," he recited slowly, punctuating each phrase with a soft touch of his lips to her face, her lips, her eyes, and her nose, as he continued, "I can't get enough of you...I think you're the most beautiful woman who ever walked the earth...I think you're the smartest, most talented, most dedicated woman I've ever met...I think you're the most fantastic lover any man ever had...the truest friend anyone ever had, including me...and the most wonderful mother in the world," and finishing with, "and a pretty darn good singer, too."

"Now turn that declaration masculine and it perfectly describes my feelings for you," she vowed softly, her eyes misting. "Except maybe the singing part," she added, causing them both to chuckle softly. She tilted her head as he zeroed in for a vow-sealing kiss.

Wrapping their arms around each other, they both became aware of the coolness of the air on the far side of their room – and the fact that Sully had absentmindedly left the door ajar, allowing the cold air from the hall to enter.

Pressing into him for warmth, Michaela murmured, "What did Robert E. say?"

"What I figured. It's shot. We need a new one."

Pulling back, Michaela looked up into his eyes, trusting his judgment and the fact that he would come up with a plan. "What are we going to do?"

"That's what I came up to talk to you about," he murmured. "I don't wanna take out a loan, but we've only got five hundred in the emergency fund, and that won't be near enough. Robert E.'s gonna try to call in some favors for us."

"Why don't we pray for God to help him find a deal we can afford, then?" she asked softly, smiling up at him as her mind ran over the many prayers God had answered for their family.

"Sounds like a good idea," he replied with a grin. "And I hope the answer comes quick!"

"So do I," she murmured sincerely. "It isn't a bit fun going to the 'North Pole' in the middle of the night."

OOOOOOOOO

"Oh no! Bad dogs!" Michaela fussed, rushing to rescue a torn and soiled sheet from the paws and tiny, but sharp teeth of two very mischievous puppies. A sheet the two had somehow managed to wrangle from a basket of clean ones sitting on the floor in front of the dryer.

"What'd they do now?" Sully called from the kitchen before sticking his head around the corner.

"Oh man," he murmured, trying not to let frustration get the better of him.

"Brian!" he yelled, walking to the foot of the stairs. "Brian!" he hollered again when he got no response.

Hearing a flush from the upstairs bathroom, followed by the door being thrown open, they heard Brian's voice answer, "Yeah, Dad! Comin'!" as his feet tromped down the hall toward the stairs. Reaching the top and clomping down to the landing, he spotted his father at the bottom, and not looking in the least happy.

"Yes, sir?" he asked softly, wondering what he'd forgotten to do.

"Come down here, son," Sully ordered, albeit gently, motioning with his hand as he disappeared from view.

Brian clomped down the stairs, suddenly having a feeling he knew what this was about. Rounding the bottom, he took one look and rolled his eyes.

"Dang it! I was just upstairs for one minute!" he groused, surging forward and trying to grab a puppy with the intention of 'disciplining' it. Sully gently grasped his arm, crouching down to his level.

"Don't, son," he admonished softly. "They don't know any better. They gotta be taught – and that takes lots of time."

"But...they were fine when I went upstairs..." Brian fretted, looking down at his mother as she knelt on the floor. It was then he saw the evidence that the puppies had also needed to go 'to the bathroom' when he had.

"Get the cleaner and an old rag, son," Sully gently ordered, watching his son take the items and drop down onto the floor to take care of the cleaning.

"Where'd you leave 'em when you went upstairs?" Sully asked, crossing his arms on his chest and leaning against the hall wall as he watched their small son pause in his cleaning and glance his way.

"Um...they were playin' with toys by the fireplace..."

"Mmm hmm," Sully nodded. "Remember what we told ya, son? They're babies, they gotta be watched every minute unless you put 'em in the box they can't climb out of. Babies get into trouble in the blink of an eye if ya leave 'em unattended," he added, exchanging a look with this wife.

Brian nodded as he scrubbed the floor, glancing at Michaela as she held on to the two squirming and oblivious puppies that were joyously yipping and trying to nip at each other in play.

"Gosh...I didn't know it was gonna be this much work...I don't know if I can do this by myself..." he ventured, shooting a glance upward at his father.

"Well...we told ya two pups would be a big responsibility when you insisted that they both be yours..." Sully reminded him gently.

The little boy nodded, glancing again at the adorable malamute pups. Adorable...but so frustrating.

Sully glanced at his wife, and the two smiled understandingly, knowing this was a hard lesson for their small son to learn.

"Well...how about then, we just keep _one_...and give the other to a good family?" Michaela asked her little boy softly.

Drawing in a big breath and releasing it in a dramatic sigh, Brian nodded, readily admitting defeat. It seemed that his every waking moment – and he had even been woken up during the night – the past week since the puppies had arrived, he'd done nothing but clean up after them, chase them around, take things from them, and yell, _No!__ Bad__ dog!_ It had not turned out to be the fun adventure he had imagined. Maybe his parents were right...one puppy would be easier to handle...and train.

Crouching down next to him, Sully caressed his son's blond hair as the boy finished the latest clean up job. "Which one do you wanna keep?"

Brian huffed another sigh, plopping down on the floor and opening his arms as Michaela released her hold on the errant pups. The male immediately ran to his _master_, while the female ignored him and went to investigate the rag left on the floor.

Hauling the male pup into his arms and nuzzling his soft, furry head, Brian looked up into his father's eyes with a sad smile. "This one, I guess."

Sully smiled lovingly and gently ruffled Brian's hair, murmuring, "Okay, son."

"And Mom?" Brian ventured, struggling to keep hold of the wiggling puppy as the other zipped by him on her way to see what mischief she could find.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Michaela queried as she raised her hands for Sully to assist her from the floor.

"I'm sure glad you're not gonna have twins!" her little boy exclaimed seriously.

OOOOOOOOO

"Come on in, Robert E...Anthony," Sully encouraged, ushering the two in the door and shutting it against the frigid January wind.

"Go over and warm yourself by the fire," he added, gesturing to the wonderfully roaring flames in the large living room fireplace. The two obliged quickly, standing and rubbing their gloved hands together as they warmed up, before turning and smiling at the family.

"We was on our way home from Loren's so I thought we'd just stop in, tell ya the good news," Robert E. began as he pulled off his gloves and hat.

"Yeah, what news?" Sully asked, perching on the arm of the couch.

"I found ya a honey of a deal on a new furnace," the burly mechanic responded, brown eyes twinkling as he took off his woolen beret.

"Oh man, that's great," Sully grinned, leaning forward to slap a high five with his friend. "What?"

"Well, see, I got this friend who has a heatin' and air business, J.D. Virgil, and he called me a while ago."

"Yeah?"

"Well, he needs some work done on one of his trucks, and it's gonna cost a pretty penny. And...we got to talkin' and I told him about this _other_ friend needin' a furnace. Well, long story short, we worked out a deal."

"That's wonderful, Robert E!" Michaela exclaimed, coming to stand next to her husband as they wrapped their arms around each other, anxious to hear the details.

"See, he put in a new furnace for a customer and they had it a month and called him back, sayin' they didn't think it was big enough for their house and they wanted a bigger one. So, he put in a bigger one...but he has the first one, only used a month, and he can't sell it as 'new' anymore, ya see. Been sittin' in the back of his shop since last winter."

"That's great! How much does he want?"

"Well, see that's the thing. I told him me and you would help install it, down there in that cellar of yours," he added, both men chuckling because they knew it wouldn't be an easy task. "And that maybe we could work out a trade about the work on his truck, so I asked him to give you the best break he could. Well...he said for the furnace and any extra parts...he's gotta have seven and a quarter, but you could work off in trade what ya don't have in cash."

With sighs of relief, the harried, furnace-less homeowners turned to each other and immediately hugged.

The children looked at each other and high-fived, glad that the family's time without proper heating was coming to an end. Even Brian and Anthony looked up from playing with the puppies, Brian grinning happily.

Pulling back from each other, the couple turned to their friend with large grins as Sully grasped his hand, pumping it vigorously. "Thanks, Robert E."

"No problem, Sully."

With a chuckle, Sully told his friend the amount of savings they had and the fact that he hadn't wanted to take out a loan if he could help it, so in this way, God had answered their prayer.

Robert E. nodded with a happy smile. "It don't get much betta than that."

Hannah, more than happy with the news of the new furnace, but in the throes of a 'monthly' mood, blurted, "That's awesome...so how soon are we gonna get the thing? Cause it's COLD in the bathrooms right now."

"He said he'd be here first thing in the morning," their friend quickly assured.

"Praise God!" Six Sullys rejoiced simultaneously.

After some more chatter and Robert E. arranging a time in the morning to arrive, he called for his son to come along so they could get on home with the groceries they had purchased.

"Aw Daddy, can I stay a little longer...I like playin' with the puppies," his son asked, giggling as the female pup climbed all over him, licking his face and excitedly wagging her tail.

"Would you look at that?" Sully murmured as the adults gathered around. "Anthony...you're the first person the female pup has taken to..."

"Really?" the little boy responded, giggling again at the pup's antics.

"You know...we were gonna look for a good home for the female..." Sully began, turning to exchange looks with his friend. "Whatdya think? Want a free full-blood malamute?"

"Where'd you get 'em?" Robert E. asked, crouching down and petting the cute puppy on the head. She flopped over and began licking his hand as he chuckled fondly.

"Come back here, Pup!" Brian fussed as the male puppy leaped from his arms chasing a ball and racing willy-nilly toward the dangerous hearth. Sully swiftly caught the ball with his foot before it reached the fire, then bent and scooped up the little animal, gently handing him back to his son as he answered, "They're Wolf's pups. I found 'em up in the hills on the back acreage. The mama died before I could get help to her."

"What is she...about six weeks?" the other man asked, grinning affectionately as the female puppy took one of his fingers in her mouth and tried to gnaw on it, her little teeth making no headway on his calloused skin.

"Yeah, that's what we figure," Sully returned, watching with a grin as his friend fell in love.

"Michaela's checked 'em both out, wormed 'em and gave 'em their shots. She's good to go," he added encouragingly.

"Well..." their burly friend hesitated.

"Please Daddy! Please please please!" Anthony begged, scooping the animal up in his arms as he gazed up at his father with the big-eyed, innocent, pleading expression that never failed to melt his father's heart.

"Well...lemme call your mama. If she says ok..." he began, taking out his phone and quickly dialing home.

After a quick conversation with Grace, in which she readily agreed since they had been promising their children a dog for the longest time, Robert E. disconnected and turned to the family and chuckled, "I guess we got ourselves a pup."

OOOOOOOOO

After the whole family said goodbye to the female pup and saw their friends out, Sully closed the door firmly and shivered. "Brr!"

Walking toward his wife standing by the fireplace, he smiled happily into her eyes, leaning to give her a quick kiss.

"That worked out well," she murmured, automatically sliding her arms around his sides and snuggling into his embrace.

"Yep. I figured it would."

Sully slipped behind his wife and enfolded her in his arms, mindful of her still healing injury, his hands idly caressing the tiny child nestled safely within the round firmness of her stomach as they watched their youngest nuzzling his puppy affectionately.

"Brian, how come you ain't picked a name for your pup yet?" Matthew queried, flopping down on the couch.

Brian shrugged, giggling as the pup licked his cheek. "I keep tryin' different names, but so far he don't like none of 'em."

The others immediately began pitching names at him, such as Butch, Fido, Spike, Ben, or Jerry, and silly names like Hekyll or Jekyll.

"Nah..." he said to each one, wrinkling up his nose and shaking his head, as the pup laid back in his arms and yawned sweetly, a tiny pink tongue poking out as he panted softly.

"Well, you can't just keep callin' him 'Pup'," Colleen argued, the others nodding in agreement.

"Why not? I like that more than them others," Brian argued as he gently bounced the puppy on his lap.

Sully and Michaela turned to each other with large eyes, thinking of the Brian in the journal calling his dog 'Pup' and the tragic consequences associated with the unfortunate animal. Somehow, they both felt they should steer their son away from the parallel.

Sully cleared his throat and offered a compromise.

"Brian, I've got the perfect name for him. How about...Keeso."

"Keeso? What's that?" the boy asked curiously, craning his neck to look up at his father.

"It's _pup_ in Cheyenne," Sully informed with a grin. The others immediately nodded their approval.

"Wow, really? Keeso. I like it!" the boy exclaimed, holding the little dog above his head.

"Whatdya think, Keeso? You like you new name?"

"Ruff! Ruff ruff ruff!" the little dog yipped excitedly, causing the whole family to erupt in chuckles.

Sully leaned down and scooped the tiny dog up with one hand, holding him high in the air above his head in a mini Cheyenne naming ceremony.

"You will be called Keeso, Náe'ha Hó'nehe, son of Wolf, from this day forward," he announced seriously as the little pup gazed around the room from its new vantage point.

"Welcome to the family, Keeso!" Michaela crooned as the others applauded and laughed.

Sully grinned and lowered the miniature 'Wolf' to the floor, where he immediately began to sniff and turn in circles.

Recognizing the signs that his charge was about to make another mess on the floor, Brian jumped up and grabbed his dog, dashing to the door with the pup held out in front of him as far as his arms would reach as he hollered, "Oh no you don't. It's time you learned how to be a house dog, Keeso!"

The others once again erupted in laughter.


	16. Matters of the Heart

**CHAPTER 16 – Matters of the Heart**

A/N - sometimes dates in the show or the movies really mess you up when writing. As the plot evolves, I needed to use the date that something happened to the original characters, and the date in the first movie is wrong for the age Katie would have been. I went with the date the movie displayed.

...

"Hey Dad! Mom! Come look at this!" Hannah hollered as she stared at the computer screen.

Colleen scooted off her bed and scrambled over to stand next to her sister, her mouth dropping open as she watched the video unfold. Footsteps were heard in the hall and the boys appeared.

"What's goin' on?" Matthew asked as Brian squeezed by him and rounded to the other side of his sisters.

"Wow! Look!" he squealed in reaction.

Moments later their parents arrived at the door. "What is it, Hannah?" Michaela asked with concern.

"Somebody put up a video on Youtube of Dad knocking that man out at the airport!" Hannah exclaimed, clicking replay and turning up the sound for everyone to hear. "Becky sent me a link to it."

"Oh Sully..." Michaela murmured, her hands circling her husband's muscled arm as they watched. The video had been shot from the upper level of the terminal and clearly showed the gunman, Michaela, and the man's wife trembling in fear, and Sully over to the side scrambling for something to throw.

"What're you doin', Dad?" Colleen asked as they all stood riveted to the screen.

Before he could answer, a voice was heard, probably the person doing the filming, whispering, "What's that guy doing?" and zoomed closer on Sully's actions. Though the camera holder was shaking with fear, he managed to steady it enough to see Sully grab an object and crawl back just as the shooter aimed the gun. Michaela involuntarily cringed in reaction, pressing herself against her husband, her face turned partially against his shoulder, the action showing full screen bringing everything just a little too close.

"He's going to shoot her!" a woman's voice was heard in a panicked whisper, somewhere near the camera.

"Aren't the officers going to do anything?" another whispered, murmurs around the camera mumbling agreement.

Then, the captivated family watched as Sully raised his arm as if holding his tomahawk, took aim, and let the sturdy object fly, striking a direct hit to the shooter's head just as the gun went off, resulting in screams erupting everywhere. The man filming nearly dropped his camera as shouts of "Oh my God!" could be heard just before the video abruptly stopped.

Michaela's arms wound automatically around her husband, and she buried her face against his neck, shuddering, the video serving to have made her relive the entire incident.

"Wow Dad! You're a hero!" Hannah exclaimed, turning on the chair with a grin that transformed to concern as she saw her mother, trembling in delayed reaction, and her father turning to enfold his wife in his arms, his eyes shut tight as his hand cradled her head.

"Eyewitness video of victim's husband coming to her rescue during a horrific attack in the CS Airport terminal," Colleen read the caption under the end frame. "Wow...it's been up a week and it's already had over 40,000 views!" she exclaimed, pride in her hero father rising within like steam in a boiler.

"Mama...what's wrong?" Brian asked softly, noticing his mother's reaction. He stepped closer and laid his hand on her arm, having gone from elation over his father's heroic exploits to extreme concern that his mother was now upset. Without looking, she reached out a hand and drew his head against her in acknowledgement.

"Guys...give us a few minutes," Sully murmured to the four concerned faces gazing at them, each one wanting to _help_. "Boys...go clean your room...and girls...um...take the laundry down, okay?"

Silently, the four filed out to obey, Matthew ushering his younger siblings out and pausing at the door to glance back at his parents in concern before quietly pulling it shut.

"You okay?" Sully whispered against his wife's soft hair as he held her comfortingly, while fighting off a resurgence of the guilt and anguish that had plagued him after the incident had occurred.

She nodded against him, sniffling, an unbidden shudder rippling through her body.

He waited, holding her tight and whispering comforting words, allowing her to draw strength from his love and presence as long as she needed. Finally, she turned her head, glancing at the screen, and then pulled back a little to look up into her husband's concerned and loving eyes.

"It just...it brought it all back as if it had just happened," she whispered.

Then standing up a little straighter and drawing in a deep breath, a determined glint in her beautiful, tear-filled, mismatched eyes, she added, "But I'll be alright. I just want to put this incident behind us and move on with our lives."

Sully gazed down at his beautiful wife, lifting a hand to lovingly smooth strands of her hair from her face as he smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Me, too, mé'oo'o," he whispered softly.

His cell phone rang just then, and he took it off his belt, glancing at the screen and seeing it was Jake. His brow furrowing, he pressed the connect button.

"Hey Jake. What's up?" he asked, cradling Michaela against his side.

"You're not gonna believe this...but you're a friggin' hero. You're on Youtube...and..." he paused as Sully chuckled.

"I know...um, hang on, I'm gettin' another call," he interrupted, hitting the button.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey pal, what's this about you being some kinda hero?" Harv Miller immediately assailed him. "I just watched a video my boy got up on that Youtube thing where you threw something and knocked some guy out – and he was holdin' a gun on your wife?" he asked incredulously. "I always knew you were a show off," he added teasingly, chuckling for good measure.

"Well...it wasn't quite like..." Sully began. "Hang on a minute, okay?" Switching back to Jake, he asked, "Jake...can I call you back?"

Jake laughed good-naturedly. "Aw that's okay, I just wanted to needle you a little. Talk to you later, Sully."

"Okay, Jake. Later, man," Sully replied, switching back to Harv.

"Hey. Like I was sayin', it wasn't like that, it all happened so fast..." he paused again as his phone gave the tone for another call. "Aw man, I'm getting' another call..."

Harv laughed. "Probably your adoring public," he teased. "I'll catch ya later, Sully."

"Yeah, see ya, Harv," Sully replied, hitting the button for the next call.

"Hello?"

"My brother...did you know that there is a video of you and Michaela on the internet..." Cloud Dancing began, concern for his brother evident in his voice.

Sully sighed and rolled his eyes, glancing down at his wife as she chuckled softly and shook her head.

OOOOOOOOO

Brian zipped back and forth across the floor as he and Matthew worked on their room-cleaning chore. Each time he passed a certain section, the floorboards squeaked aggravatingly, causing frustration to rise within his brother.

"Aggh! I hate that squeak!" Matthew groused as he gathered his laundry. "Drives me crazy!"

Brian giggled, stepping to the offending area and manipulated the boards, causing them to squeak and groan obnoxiously.

"Cut it out, Brian!" Matthew yelled, throwing a pillow at his brother and trying not to laugh at the awful racket.

"I think it's neat," the little boy chuckled, swaying back and forth to make the boards 'sing'.

"It ain't neat in the middle of the night," his brother groused, spotting just then his parents in the hallway, thankfully appearing normal.

"Hey Dad? Ain't there somethin' we can do about this stupid floor squeaking?" he called, causing Sully to pause at their door as Michaela went on about her business, after a quick parting kiss.

"Yeah...I've always meant to fix that...just never got around to it."

"Can we fix it today...please?" Matthew prompted, rolling his eyes as Brian continued with his 'silly symphony'.

Sully laughed and shook his head at his youngest son's antics. "Yeah. Lemme go get my tools."

A few minutes later, Sully returned with his toolbox, extracting from it a hammer and small crow bar. Trying first to hammer the boards down tighter, he quickly saw that wouldn't be good enough, so with a sigh of resolve, he instructed Matthew to move a chest off the end of the offending board. Once uncovered, Sully wedged the end of the crowbar under the end of the twelve inch wide oak plank and shoved, surprised that it popped up easily.

"Well, that wasn't bad..." he began, pausing as his eyes took in what was underneath the offending piece of wood.

"Wow, what _is_ all that?" Matthew breathed, kneeling on the floor and peering into the ten-foot long, ten-inch wide hole.

"Gosh! It's a treasure chest!" Brian exclaimed, dropping to his knees and reaching down to retrieve an item. Sully gently stopped him, cautioning, "Be careful...I got a feeling this stuff is real old...probably delicate."

Brian's eyes grew large with awe, and he nodded. The three looked at each other, swallowing, as Sully reached down, carefully taking hold of a metal, hinge-topped box and lifting it out of the niche. Carefully setting it down on the floor next to the opening, and glad there was no lock, he lifted the top and stared down at the treasure trove of items it contained. On top was a small, very worn, notebook of sorts. Sully gently picked it up and opened it. Inside the cover, in faded pencil, were the words, __Brian Cooper, 1871___._

"Brian...go get your mom," Sully murmured softly as excitement zipped through his veins, amazed that this had been in his childhood home his whole life – in the very room he had occupied as a boy – and he'd had no clue of its existence.

Brian immediately jumped up and ran out the door, hollering, "Mom! Come look at what we found!"

Sully glanced up at his older son. "These things musta belonged to the original Brian...been here all these decades..."

"Dang...it's like finding the time capsule last year. I gotta tell Ingrid about this," he murmured, quickly making a call on his phone.

Reaching in the box, Sully gently picked up what looked like a small, reed flute, and instantly recognized it as Cheyenne. He smiled, wondering if the original Cloud Dancing had made it for him. Putting it back, he fingered an old, much-played harmonica, an antique sheriff's badge, and a torn piece from a red scarf, wondering what the items had meant to the little boy. With a smile, he lifted up a wooden figurine, perusing it with a nod. It was a majestic wolf, and he instinctively knew _Sully_ had carved it...

Just then, Michaela's footsteps sounded in the hall, and she appeared at the doorway.

"Sully? Brian said you found..." she paused, her eyes widening as she took in the sight.

"Oh my..." she breathed, moving forward to kneel next to her husband as the girls came in the door in response to Brian's announcement.

Sully turned to meet his wife's eyes. "I had no clue this stuff was here..."

Matthew spoke excitedly into his phone as he reached for an old, dark, woolen brimmed cap that had been carefully put away, "Yeah, we took up a board in the floor to fix it and underneath was all this stuff – like from the 1800's... Okay, I'll pick you up in a few..."

OOOOOOOOO

The family began to carefully extract items from the cache, lovingly examining the objects and gently placing them on the boys' hastily made beds.

Colleen sat on the end of Brian's bed, carefully turning pages in the old rough-bound journal as she scanned lines he had penned concerning his feelings, thoughts, and happenings in his life. As she turned one, a four leaf clover fell out and she picked it up, smiling, and wondering about its significance. __I wonder where he found it...did it bring him good luck?_ _

Brian picked up an envelope addressed to the original Brian, return address reading, 18 Mill Street, San Francisco, California, and drew out a letter. Unfolding it, he read haltingly, __Dear Brian, I r...received your letter. Glad to hear all is well in Colorado Springs. We're doing fine. San F..Francisco is a be...beautiful city. Perhaps one day you will be able to see it yourself. Guess that's all from here. Your Father, Ethan Cooper_. _

"Is that all? Ain't much of a letter..." Matthew commented, reaching for what appeared to be a piece of a broken telescope.

"It's got a picture inside," the boy said, carefully removing a sepia toned photograph of a man with light hair and mustache, wearing a black hat and a light colored suit with large black lapels. The photo appeared to have been taken outside, not in a studio, and the man was squinting in the sun, smiling benignly. Scrawled across the bottom were the words, "To Brian from your father, Ethan Cooper."

"Wow, that's creepy," Colleen commented, glancing at the picture and thinking about their own father having the same name.

"Yeah...I don't even remember what our...what _Ethan_ looked like," Brian stammered, glancing quickly at Sully as he had almost said, "Our Dad," and was relieved that his father and mother were absorbed in something from the stash.

"I don't wonder, since he died before you were born," Matthew remarked, adding, "And I don't remember either," he shrugged.

"Charlotte always told me Ethan detested having his picture taken," Michaela supplied as she focused on her sons' conversation.

"May I?" she asked, reaching for the photograph and studying the old image carefully. Shaking her head, she murmured, "No, from what I remember, your father looked nothing like this man."

She handed the picture back to Brian. He looked at it again and shrugged, carefully replacing it into the envelope.

Lifting a rather heavy potato sack from the niche, Sully opened the end and peered inside, carefully reaching in and withdrawing a handful of printed sheets.

"Colorado Springs Gazette," he read, glancing at page after page. "Looks like he kept a copy of every issue of Dorothy's Gazette for years," he murmured in amazement, reading headlines aloud, such as, "Entire Family killed in Indian Raid"... "Walking 'Corpse' Frightens Citizens"... "Indians Attack Hunting Party, Telegraph Operator Wounded"... "Traveling Evangelist Sister Ruth Performs Miraculous Healings" ... "Severe Drought Threatens Entire Region" ... "Dog Soldiers Attack Railroad Camp," and many more.

"Dorothy'll love these," he murmured with awe.

"What are _these_?" Hannah asked, reaching for what appeared to be rolled up posters. Carefully unfurling them, she let out a gasp as she found herself staring into the hand drawn face of her own father.

"Dad, look..." she murmured, handing the top one to Sully. Michaela peered over his shoulder as they stared into the face of the man who was responsible for so many things that blessed and affected their lives each and every day. Much larger and easier to see his features than the tiny representation in the town photograph over their mantel downstairs, the couple sat mesmerized by his expression in the lifelike drawing.

"Kinda gives me a chill," Sully murmured, staring at his namesake's likeness under the bold heading of __$200 Reward – Dead or Alive_ _. Hannah handed them the next poster, with the heading, __Byron Sully - $1000 Reward – Treason and Murder_ _. His picture on the second poster was grimmer; he looked like an outlaw, with scruffy whiskers and scowling expression, his hair wild and windblown.

"It must have broken Michaela's heart to see these," Michaela murmured softly, experiencing a chill herself as she imagined seeing her own beloved husband's face on a poster announcing to the world that he was wanted, _dead or alive_ , and knowing anyone who found him could kill him and be within the bounds of the law.

"Here's one of Cloud Dancing!" Hannah announced, staring into the face on a third poster that closely resembled their dear friend.

"Lemme see, honey," Sully returned, reaching for it and smiling as he stared at the likeness of his brother – or rather – the likeness of his _ancestor__'__s_ brother.

Excitedly, the family perused other items in the stash...a small bow and arrow set, obviously hand made with fine craftsmanship...several cars of a wooden toy train, clearly having been repaired after quite serious damage...a rolled up painting of a red school house, signed at the bottom with Brian's name and someone named Isabelle Maynard...a ticket stub to a train fair, apparently held in Denver in 1871...a shirt that appeared to be an old type baseball uniform, with large blue letters C.S. on the front and "Brays Mercantile," on the back, folded together with a soft blue cap...a small leather pouch that seemed to have contained some sort of herbs, but it wasn't a 'medicine bag'... some sort of small writing tablet with a cord attached, as if to wear around the neck...

Ingrid reached for that, gently flipping through and reading words hastily scrawled on each page. "Looks like he made notes in here about things that were going on," she murmured, reading details about a young doctor named Andrew Cook arriving to help Dr. Mike during her pregnancy...the opening of the chateau... a singer named Gilda St. Clair...a race for mayor between the barber/mayor and a banker named Preston Lodge...

"Wow, I wonder who made _this_..." Hannah murmured, carefully extracting from the metal box an Indian necklace, made of thin rawhide, the top third just leather, with two strands of tiny brown, black, and white beads, embellished with an arrowhead looped in the middle and hanging down. "It's beautiful," she whispered, gently fingering the perfectly matched rows of tiny beads.

Lifting a handmade, wooden, two-foot long sword from the space, Brian grinned, feeling very much a kindred spirit in this other _Brian_. He pictured a boy not much older than himself, playing with the item. Standing to his feet, he took the 'sword' in his hands, brandishing the clumsy 'weapon,' with a gallant, "En guard!" The others chuckled and shook their heads at his youthful playfulness.

He laughed and plopped back down at the edge of the hole. Drawing a long, cotton-wrapped article from the interior end of the cache and laying it on the floor, Brian unwrapped one end, exclaiming, "Hey, look at this!" Grasping hold of the curved guard and handle of what appeared to be a sword, Brian carefully removed the covering as Sully turned and reached out his hand.

"Lemme see that, Brian," he murmured.

Bringing the antique weapon into the light, Sully examined the piece, admiring its fine craftsmanship and the fact that it didn't appear to have been used in battle at all, its cast-brass hilt, leather-wrapped grip, and shiny gilded scabbard in nearly perfect condition.

"I think this is some kind of ceremonial or presentation sword, I'm pretty sure from the Civil War," Sully murmured as he perused the weapon.

"It would have to be the one President Grant presented him with..." Michaela speculated.

"Was Sully in the war?" Matthew asked, reaching for the item as Ingrid looked over his shoulder.

Michaela glanced at Sully, answering, "For a short time, Matthew."

"Why would Brian have kept it stashed away...you'd think Sully would have hung it over the mantel or something..." Ingrid commented.

"Well..." Sully began, thinking of the heart-wrenching details _Michaela_ had documented in the journal, "He, uh, wasn't in the army for long...and it didn't leave him with warm, happy, or proud memories. I don't imagine he woulda wanted a reminder of those events staring him in the face day after day..."

"Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if he urged Brian to put it away, out of sight ..." Michaela surmised. Sully nodded agreement.

Brian withdrew a black case from the bottom of the void, next to where the sword had been. Carefully opening the holder, the boy exclaimed softly, "Wow...what are _these_?"

Holding the case open for the others to see two four-inch long military epaulets, bright red with shiny gilded edging, Michaela smiled and nodded, remembering the details from the journal.

"Those must be the ceremonial epaulets, given to Sully by President Grant himself, along with the sword and his honorable discharge from the army."

OOOOOOOOO

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Dorothy exclaimed as she gently reached for one of the posters. "I can't believe you found all of this – and in near perfect condition! It's like the time capsule all over again," she gushed, nearly repeating Matthew's earlier words. "This will definitely be the front page story for the next issue of the Gazette," she added, closely perusing the two posters.

"So _that__'__s_ what he looked like," she murmured, holding one up to compare the drawing to Sully's face. "This could be _you_ wearing a wig, Sully," she teased, adding, "The resemblance is uncanny."

Sully grinned in response and murmured, "Yep."

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Michaela agreed, wondering how she would like _her_ Sully with his hair past his shoulders, and at times a scruffy four-day growth of whiskers.

"Grandpa...you should read this..." Hannah stated softly, carefully handing an oft-folded piece of paper to Loren.

The old man took it, scanning the words as he asked, "What is it?"

"I think he wrote it about the original Mr. Bray..." the young girl astutely surmised, watching as her grandfather read out loud, _"___Once there was a boy who was lonely for a grandpa. He never had one, so he was always dreaming what it was like. In the town where he lived was an old shopkeeper. Some people said he was kind of cranky, but the boy knew it wasn't so, 'cause he was always sneaking the boy candy when his ma wasn't looking_ __.__"_

Loren paused, glancing around at the others, who had stopped to listen. Blinking hard as his eyes began to cloud, and knowing exactly what the original Mr. Bray would have felt, he looked down and continued, _"___Once he even showed the boy how to play, 'Beautiful Dreamer' on the harmonica. Sometimes when nobody was around, they'd talk about stars and girls and stuff like that. And the boy was thinking maybe the man was lonely for a grandson. So, one day, the boy_ __...__"_ he paused again, nearly overcome, and cleared his throat, embarrassed in front of the others.

"Awww, I ain't got time to read stuff like this," he grumbled, handing the paper back to Hannah. Knowing her grandfather quite well, she instinctively knew what he was feeling, and taking the delicate page, she placed it carefully down and then hopped up to wrap her arms around Loren's neck. Colleen and Brian followed suit, moving to surround their 'grandpa'.

"I'm so glad I've got _you_, grandpa," Brian offered, smiling innocently up into Loren's face. The old man nearly lost it, his bottom lip trembling, as he pulled the children into his embrace. Allowing his head to fall back, he shut his eyes tight as he hugged them, whispering, "And I'm glad I got all 'a you."

Michaela and Sully looked on, smiling, Michaela's eyes misting as she watched, thinking of how blessed her children were to have a grandfather in Mr. Bray, especially since their own grandfather – her father Josef – had been taken from them prematurely.

Dorothy watched also, touched beyond words. As she watched him, she thought about what a wonderful, kind, gentle man Loren was, underneath his oft times gruff exterior. She thought about how she had spurned his affections when they were young, chasing fire and excitement instead. _I sure got that, alright_, she mused, remembering the many nights she had cried herself to sleep, wishing she had the kind of marriage her sister had with Loren.

Now as she watched him with the children, patting and speaking affectionately to them, making them giggle, it occurred to her that there was much more to Loren Bray than she ever imagined. He was wise, a good businessman, and his feelings ran deep for those he loved. She thought about the times recently they had gone to dinner or the movies together, and how much she had enjoyed each occasion.

Just then, he looked up and his eyes met hers. She blushed at being caught staring and looked away quickly, grabbing at the nearest item and feigning intense interest.

Loren stifled a pleased grin, choosing to remain mute.

"What I'm wondering is...why is this stuff hidden in this hole? Why didn't he take any of it with him when he grew up and moved away. He didn't...he didn't like die young or anything, did he?" Matthew asked, thinking about mementos that he cherished from his own childhood.

"No, I'm sure he didn't," Michaela supplied, pursing her lips as she tried to remember family history. "As I recall, he moved to Boston as a young man and became a reporter for the Boston Globe, married, and had quite a large family."

Colleen had been nearly absorbed in the handmade 'journal' and only partially paying attention to the conversation. Hearing her brother's question, however, prompted her to turn to the last entry in the book to see if her hunch was right, tears soon coming to her eyes as she read the haunting words written so long ago.

Glancing up at her family members as they continued to peruse the incredible cache of historic items, she murmured softly, "I think I found why..."

"Really?" What?" Hannah asked as she reached for another item.

Colleen cleared her throat and began softly,

_**March 30, 1877**_

_**My heart feels like a wagon wheel is pressing down on it... I feel so guilty. There's nobody I can talk to about this...no one would understand how I feel...**_

_**My sweet, innocent little sister...just four years old...dead...**_

The others in the room let out a collective gasp. She went on...

_**God, why did this happen? I feel awful. When I think of all the times I told her to get out of my room...to get off my 'stuff'...to give me some 'privacy'...it makes me feel sick. I thought I was so smart, hiding everything I didn't want her touching under the floorboard in my room... **_

_**I don't even want to look at any of my 'treasures' anymore. Stuff I thought was so important when I was a kid, now seem like nothing. Ma's heartbroken...Pa's in shock and just going through the motions of living...they had a fight the other night and now they're not even talking. Nothing will ever be the same. It's like the light is gone from the house and we're all stumbling around in the dark... Our sweet, cute, loving little Katie is...gone.**_

_**God forgive me for the times I was jealous of her! I love...loved her...so much...but I can't even remember the last time I told her that. **_

_**Oh God...I'd do anything if we could only get Katie back...I'd trade places with my sister in a heartbeat just to see Ma smile again...**_

Colleen paused and looked up to find everyone had stopped to listen, with somber faces.

"But...I know she didn't die at the age of four...because the family Bible downstairs shows the names of her husband and children..." Sully murmured, subdued by the anguish in the young man's words, achingly recorded for posterity in the old journal.

"I wonder what happened. Michaela's journal ends sometime when Katie was about three..." Michaela murmured.

"Obviously there was a horrible mistake...something, maybe some kind of accident, happened that made them think she was dead, but later they found her alive..." Dorothy speculated, her reporter's mind itching to dig into such a story. She wondered if the Rocky Mountain News, in Denver, had printed anything regarding the occurrence..._if so...the online Historic Newspapers Collection of the Rocky Mountain News might have it_ _..._she mused silently.

"Dr. Mike and Sully...it must've about killed 'em thinkin' their little girl was dead..." Loren offered softly, fondly remembering Abby as a precocious four-year-old.

"Yes...they both adored her so..." Michaela whispered, one hand unconsciously moving to cup her precious, unborn child as she glanced at Sully.

He nodded, glancing at his wonderful children with an affectionate smile before turning to his wife and placing his hand lovingly over hers as they cradled their precious cargo. "The pain of losin' a child...it'd be somethin' you'd never get over..." he murmured just above a whisper as he thought about his sweet Hannah at four years of age, knowing it would have devastated him to have lost her...then...or anytime.

"He said Michaela and Sully had a fight and weren't speaking...it sent them into such a tail spin...they couldn't even seek solace from _each__ other_..." Michaela whispered, her eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears of sympathy for the couple that meant so much to them, almost as if they knew them personally.

Matthew had been deep in thought since his sister had read their ancestor's haunting words. Now, looking around the room at his two sisters and younger brother, then glancing at his parents as they 'cradled' his soon to be youngest sibling, he swallowed and took a breath, thinking of the times he, himself, had felt the torturous pangs of jealousy toward one or all of his siblings. But, the thought of one of them _dying_...he shook his head with a shudder to dispel images of Hannah, unconscious in Sully's arms, her head bleeding profusely...of Colleen unconscious and being carried out of the back of an overturned school bus...and of the torment he had gone through in the hours Brian had been missing, having left the house after his older brother uncaringly ignored his needs.

Imagining himself tortured by guilt if something terrible happened to one of them, he knew he would scramble to try and do _anything_ he could to assuage the pain.

"I know why the stuff is still here. He made a bargain with God," he stated softly, almost able to _see_ Brian, a young man close to his own age at that point, on his knees next to his bed pouring his heart out in prayer to God as he begged for a miracle.

At Sully's look, he added, "I'd be willin' to bet he made a bargain with God that he would give up all his 'treasured possessions' if He'd just do a miracle and bring his little sister back...then when they got her back, he kept his word..."

Everyone quietly nodded, his words making more sense than anything else they could envision.

OOOOOOOOO

Later that evening, the family had retired to the living room as the television played a reality show about history detectives. Matthew and Ingrid sat close together at one end of a couch, leisurely munching on chips as they watched the program, surreptitiously sneaking kisses when they thought no one would notice.

Colleen, still absorbed in _Brian__'__s_ journal, lounged at the other end of the couch. Hannah sat on a large pillow on the floor, reclining near her sister as she viewed the program, absentmindedly fingering the beaded necklace she had found in the stash. Brian lay on the floor, snuggling a sleeping Keeso.

"Hannah, I found it," Colleen murmured. "_Sully_ made the necklace. Listen..."

_Pa and I went hunting for mistletoe today, and he gave me a Cheyenne necklace with an arrowhead on the bottom and real tiny black and white beads. He said he had made it when he lived with the Cheyenne, but never knew who for, until today. He said, "I made it for my son." I wish I could make him something to let him know how proud I am that he's my pa..._

"Wow...that's awesome..." Hannah breathed, drawing the treasured beaded item to her cheek and exchanging grins with her sister.

Michaela and Sully, snuggled together on the other couch, glanced at their daughters with smiles, the huge stack of Gazette's strewn on the coffee table as the couple leisurely read their various articles. Picking up the next one, they read, enthralled, a story that was accompanied by a very good likeness of Michaela behind bars, her baby girl in her arms.

Suddenly, there was a faint scratching and a soft whine at the front door. Sully glanced at his wife, eyebrows raised, and rose to pad sock footed to the door, opening it to find a shivering Wolf. His fur matted with frozen mud, he looked exactly like what had happened – he had spent the last few days out in the elements, not even bothering to find something to eat.

The dog looked up at his master, then slowly stepped inside the warm house, stopping just inside the door, which Sully quickly closed. He knelt down in front of his beloved pet, reaching out and lovingly caressing the dog's chilly ears, his palms gently framing his face as he peered into the beautiful, but sad, brown eyes.

"You okay, boy?" he asked softly. Wolf responded with another whisper-soft whine.

"Wolf!" Brian exclaimed, only then paying attention. He jumped up from the floor, carrying the pup with him and hurried to his big furry friend, sliding to a stop next to him on the floor.

"Wolf! Hey boy! We been worried about ya!" the boy gushed, reaching a hand to lovingly caress the large head.

Wolf turned his eyes balefully to his young human friend before dropping his gaze to his son. The pup whined softly, immediately recognizing its father, and stepped close on its tiny paws to give the older dog a welcome home kiss, flopping affectionately against him.

Almost human-like, Wolf briefly laid a paw upon his offspring's chest, then looked upward, his eyes connecting with Sully's as if to say, "I can't handle this right now..."

Sully smiled understandingly, gently pulling the pup away and depositing him back in Brian's arms.

"Let's give him some time, Brian," Sully gently told his son. "He's still kinda sad right now."

"Because his wife died?" the boy asked innocently, holding firm to the pup, who wanted nothing but to be released to interact with the older dog again.

"Yeah, son," Sully murmured, his heart going out to his faithful canine friend.

"Is there anything we can do to make him feel better?" the boy asked, the rest of the family now gathering around in concern for the welfare of their pet.

"I tell ya what...I bet he'd like it if you brushed the burs and dirt outta his fur for him," Sully suggested. "Can you do that?"

"Sure!" Brian exclaimed, putting down the pup and leaping to his feet to retrieve the brush.

The others glanced at each other uncertainly as they noticed Wolf's subdued demeanor. He seemed to be staring at nothing, effectively ignoring the adorable antics of his pup as it tried to gain its father's attention.

"C'mere, boy!" Brian called, patting his leg as he knelt down near the fire in the living room.

Wolf, seeming to understand what his family wanted to do, tiredly stood and walked around the couch to the boy.

"Matthew, bring 'im some water, will ya?" Sully asked, slipping an arm around Michaela as they watched their youngest interact with the large dog.

"C'mere, boy," Brian encouraged. "I'm just gonna brush ya...get all that junk out of your fur," he added, showing the dog the brush as proof.

Wolf complied, sitting in front of the boy and submitting to his ministrations, sighing sadly when the pup flopped down next to them, thumping his tail, his tiny pink tongue hanging from one side of his mouth as he panted excitedly.

Matthew carried Wolf's water bowl into the living room, carefully placing it near the tired, thirsty animal, and watched as the dog glanced his way gratefully before leaning to slurp up the refreshing liquid.

Michaela and Sully stood back and watched as their children, along with Ingrid, gently ministered to the dog, speaking softly to him, showing him they loved and were there for him...that they were, in essence, his 'pack.'

"He seems so sad," Michaela murmured, her arms wrapped securely around Sully's warm body.

"Yeah...I guess he loved her a lot," Sully returned, squeezing her to him as he pushed away the inevitable comparison and pondered the events of the day – the first Brian's journal with the revelation of the family thinking their beloved Katie had died – and before that, watching the disturbing video of his 'heroic' act that resulted in Michaela being injured and the feelings it had rekindled within his heart.

"It's hard to lose someone you love, or watch 'em be hurt, whether you're animal or human," he pondered softly.

"Indeed," she agreed thoughtfully. "And Wolf has always seemed to possess more human traits than the average dog," she added with a soft smile.

"That, he does," Sully agreed, watching as the dog lay over on his side as Brian brushed his fur, each of the girls stroking his head and speaking softly to him.

Exhausted from his heart-wrenching ordeal, it wasn't long before he slipped into a tired but peaceful sleep, safe and warm with his human family in the loving confines of his home.


	17. Love, The Reverend, & the Tow Truck

A/N – TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN READING THIS STORY – I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY FOR THE WEIRD THING GOING ON WITH ITALICS IN MY STORY! I can't figure out the problem, but you've probably noticed when I have more than one word in italics, sometimes there are no spaces between them. Believe me, it's ff doing it. I had all of them fixed and re-saved when I put up the last chapter, but somehow they 'unfixed' themselves two days later and I had to fix them again. If anyone can give me a heads-up about this as to the reason why, I'd appreciate it.

...

**Chapter 17 - LOVE, THE REVEREND & THE TOW TRUCK**

The Reverend Timothy Johnson stared at his reflection in his bedroom mirror, striving valiantly to make up his mind. Feeling foolish, he rolled his eyes and reached to remove the tie from around his neck, grumbling to himself, "This is ridiculous," as he quickly discarded the three piece suit he had donned only moments ago.

Tossing the garments on the pile on his bed, he moved over to stand in front of his closet, frustratingly running his hands through his dark brown hair.

"Aggghhh!" he bellowed as he tilted his head back and clamped his hands on his hips, wondering why something as simple as what to wear had morphed into such a big deal in his mind. Pressing his lips together and emitting a huff of defeat, he let his head drop, eyes shut, as he uttered a soft, but heartfelt prayer – ashamed that it was actually a 'last resort.'

"Father...please help me with this...You know I want to make a good first impression..."

Drawing in a deep, calming breath, the Reverend raised his head and opened his eyes. They fell on a shirt that he had not yet worn - a nice button-up shirt his sister had sent him for Christmas. He pulled it out of the closet and held it up, his eyes assessing its thin dark brown, blue, and cream stripes as he remembered her words on the card, "I saw this and thought it would look wonderful with your coloring and your beautiful brown eyes."

Nodding in decision, he sighed softly and pulled a new pair of Haggar dark brown khaki slacks from their hanger and glanced at the clock on his nightstand, grimacing as he saw the time.

Dressing quickly, he slipped into his shoes, fastened on his watch, and slipped into a warm jacket as he headed toward the door of his tiny apartment. Glancing into the small mirror by the door, he inspected, for the umpteenth time, the close shave he had accomplished that morning, and wondered if he'd made the right decision to do away with the full beard he'd had for years.

Grabbing the box of Ghirardelli chocolates from the table, he slipped out and closed the door, heading for his pickup and glancing at his watch, hoping the traffic on the way to the mall cooperated. He couldn't be late...

As he drove, he removed from his jacket pocket the picture he had printed from his computer and stared at the attractive woman and pretty, blond little girl, his mind replaying scattered details from six weeks of correspondence through a Christian online dating service...Name...Anna Marie Sheehan...age thirty one... widowed...daughter Sarah, age eight...from Georgia...residing in Manitou with her sister... loves all types of music, including classical, but especially Contemporary Christian...loves the Lord...soft spoken...honey-blond hair...blue/gray eyes...

Swallowing nervously, he prayed once again that the urge that had come upon him to seek out a Christian matchmaking service had been the right thing to do...after having been encouraged by his friends, Loren and Dorothy, on the way home from the Sullys' on Thanksgiving.

Thinking again about her gentle "Southern Belle" accent on the phone that morning as they had confirmed the time and place where they would meet the first time, the Reverend drew in a determinedly calming breath and continued on down the highway...toward what he hoped would be a meeting that would change the course of his solitary...and lonely life.

OOOOOOOO

"Hey, Sully," Robert E.'s voice greeted from the earpiece of Sully's cell phone.

"Robert E. How's it goin'?" Sully asked, standing up straight and wiping his forehead with the back of one hand as he paused in his chores.

"Aw, pretty good...pretty good," the other man responded, nodding his thanks to a customer as the man paid him and climbed in his repaired vehicle.

"I'll be over in a little while to work on the Cami. I figure in a few more days, it'll be ready to shoot some paint on it, huh?" Sully offered, knowing his friend needed to get the El Camino done and out of the way. "I hate that you've had to put that big job off 'cause my ride's in the way, man."

"Aw, don't worry about it, Sully. Matter of fact, Morton called yesterday and said he needed to wait another month before he brings the car over, cause his wife spent some of the money he was gonna use," Robert E. returned with a chuckle. Sully laughed and shook his head, thinking once again how grateful he was to have such a wonderful wife like Michaela. At the thought of her, he moved a few feet so that he could gaze out one of the barn's windows toward the house, wondering what she was doing.

"Well, I'll be..." the burly mechanic muttered, raising a hand in a confused wave, then bringing the hand up to take off his hat and scratch his head as he watched the Reverend's car continue past and on down the road.

"What?" Sully responded curiously.

"The Reverend just drove by...clean shaven. I don't think I've ever seen him without his beard before..."

Sully narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember, then shook his head, remarking, "Me neither, man. Wonder what's up with him."

"Don't know," the other man answered, shaking his head and shrugging as he brought his mind back to the reason for the call. "Anyways, what I called for is...I got a proposition for ya. That is, if you're still lookin' for ways to make money..." he joked with a grin.

"I'm all ears, man," Sully instantly replied, grinning as he watched his wife open the homestead's side door and usher the puppy out, one hand on a hip a trifle aggravatingly, a as a harried Brian quickly followed.

"Well, you remember when I told ya I traded that old jalopy of mine for a tow truck a while back?"

"Yeah," Sully replied, holding his cell phone against his shoulder as he turned from the window to toss hay into Molly's stall.

"Man, I got it runnin' and put the word out last week, takin' runs at night, you know? And a little while ago I got a call from Buzz's Towing. They wanna put me on as permanent overflow for their AAA tri-county runs, can you beat that?"

"That's great, man!" Sully responded, patting Molly on the flank as he rounded her stall.

"Yeah, it'll mean a good chunk of change, but a lot more work...that's where you come in. Wanna learn how to drive a hook?"

"Sure," Sully came back. "Matter of fact, I did do a little of that for a couple 'a weeks in Nevada years ago, when me and Daniel were knockin' around..."

"Well, alright then. I already told Buzz about ya, and he's gonna let me keep their spare truck till I can get me another one. You can keep it your place." The man hesitated and then added, "Uh, Sully...that means you'll have to be on call at night...from midnight to six. That gonna be alright?"

Sully paused a minute and thought about it, deciding he'd better go in and talk it over with Michaela first before committing. To his friend, he replied, "Yeah, sure. It should be okay. Lemme go talk to 'Chaela about it. I'll call ya back."

"Okay, man. Later."

OOOOOOOO

Michaela stared into her husband's vivid blue eyes, which were alive with barely contained excitement regarding his latest adventure. She, however, was not thrilled with the idea at all. Thoughts whizzed through her mind, imagining Sully being gone every night in all types of weather...picturing herself and the kids needing him and he not being there. She shook her head, trying to dispel the trepidation that had suddenly seized her heart. _Maybe this is just pregnancy hormones again... _

"I promise, it's not gonna be an every night kind of thing," Sully offered, watching emotions chase each other across his wife's face as they stood together in the kitchen.

"It's not dangerous, is it?" she asked softly, pressing a hand to the small of her back, the other slipping around to caress her middle.

Sully opened his mouth to joke, but seeing the serious expression in Michaela's eyes, he stopped himself and admitted, "Maybe a little..._but I'll be extra careful_," he added as he saw her eyes react to his admission.

Casting around for a valid argument, but not wanting to come across like she thought he was incapable, she hedged, "Do we really need the money that badly?"

He smiled lovingly and stepped near, drawing her into his arms for a warm hug, closing his eyes as he felt her arms encircle him tightly.

"You know it makes me nervous to not have any emergency money put back," he murmured softly, gently swaying side to side. "Since we just had to spend it all on the furnace...plus durin' the winter I don't have any ridin' business comin' in..."

"But...I've had a steady amount of patients lately..." she offered, feeling him tense up just a little. She pulled back and looked up into his face, trying to read his eyes.

Drawing in a deep breath, he murmured, "We're _partners_ 'Chaela...and I..." he paused, shrugging self-consciously, "I been feelin' like I ain't holdin' up my end like I should..."

"But Sully...we have money coming in...from T-Mobile...from the county..."

Sully smiled indulgently, knowing his wife's penchant for 'going on' about things, especially when it came to things she couldn't control. Reaching for one of her hands, he lifted it to his mouth, pressing his warm lips to her fingers in that way she adored – and that always cracked her resolve if he wanted to change her mind about something. "We won't get the payment from T-Mobile until July...once a year, remember? And the county don't pay much for that tiny corner they stuck that siren on, you know that," he added with a twinkle.

They stood together for a few moments, Sully's strong right arm holding her pressed against his body, the baby nestled snuggly between its parents fidgeting a little in reaction to the unknown pressure. She brought her other hand around to his chest, lowering her eyes to watch as her fingers toyed with the dark, wavy hair showing at the open collar of his shirt.

He waited, knowing she was grappling with her thoughts and emotions. And also knowing if she planted herself firmly against the idea, he would turn Robert E.'s offer down, as he had resolved that he would do nothing to cause his wonderful wife undue worry or angst, especially while she was carrying their much anticipated child. He knew, also, that at times his wife's intuition was something he should pay close attention to...

Michaela was fighting a battle in her mind...and wishing she had not indulged in reading a segment of the journal, without her husband, earlier that morning. A picture flashed in her mind of herself putting away laundry and picking up the treasured volume, then succumbing to temptation and sinking to the bed, opening to a section previously unread like a child dipping into the cookie jar when no one was around.

Now, _Michaela's_ words seemed burned into her mind, her ancestor's emotions bleeding over into her own...

_**September 12, 1872**_

_**Sully has been gone for weeks, traveling with Cloud Dancing to try and speak peace among the scattered tribes. I think often of the brief moments we had together in the empty church that day, when I gave him the new belt from Robert E. Oh how I wanted to simply hold him and never let him go...**_

_**I know he can take care of himself...truth be told probably better than anyone. But...he's out there, away from me and the children, and in danger every minute. A dog soldier's anger could flare up against him without warning. An army patrol could find them and just decide to shoot him on sight. Any number of dangers could assail him out there in the wilderness. It's the 'not knowing' that is so hard... I'm holding on to my emotions by my fingernails, it seems. And...I don't even want to put into words how much I miss him...ache for him...long for his kisses... his loving... and his arms around me as we sleep...**_

_**It seems like it's been years since those blissful days just before the uprising that turned my world upside down and ripped my happiness from my grasp. It's amazing to think that just a week before, our biggest worry was dealing with Brian's brief period of 'rebellion'. **_

_**If I had known what was coming...would I have done anything differently? Treasured our moments together more deeply? Committed every word, touch, and sight to memory more thoroughly? The awful day Cloud Dancing was beaten...Sully had sat on the picnic table in the garden that morning, holding Katie, trying to get her to say Papa. It gives me a chill to remember him looking at me and murmuring softly, "I wish I could just stop time...keep it like this forever..." before kissing me so sweetly.**_

_**Oh my Sully...I miss you so...**_

Michaela shook herself from her reverie and brought her mind back to the question at hand as she realized Sully was watching her, waiting for her answer.

Standing pressed against her husband's warm body, she determinedly pushed thoughts of fear and dread firmly down as if stuffing them into an overfull suitcase and locking it shut, reminding herself that their ancestor did indeed come home, unscathed, and did eventually return to _Michaela's_ life, free and clear. The scenarios she had feared and imagined had _not_ come to fruition.

And, she reminded herself, _this situation_ did not even remotely resemble that of their ancestors. _I merely picked the wrong time to read such an excerpt, _she scolded herself silently.

Smiling up into her husband's beautiful blue eyes and seeing them instantly respond, Michaela drew in a deep breath, unconsciously drawing herself up to her full height as she determined to shake off the unreasoning 'fear.'

"When will you start?" she asked softly, catching her bottom lip between her teeth and allowing her eyes to twinkle becomingly.

He grinned and brought his hands up to her face, leaning in for a thorough, and oh so satisfyingly sensuous kiss.

OOOOOOOO

"Reverend Johnson?" a soft, genteel voice asked from behind the nervous preacher.

The Reverend spun around, nearly knocking over and coming face to face with a lovely, honey-blonde haired woman, standing rather uncertainly as she gripped her coat and purse closely against her side.

"Yes...I'm Reverend Johnson...are you...Mrs. Sheehan?"

The woman smiled, her tense face relaxing as she allowed her nerves to calm, glad she had guessed right and not approached the wrong man. Somehow she had known he was the man she was to meet, despite the fact that the full beard, very evident in the picture he had sent, was now missing.

"Please...call me Anna..." she softly suggested, pausing and allowing her eyebrows to raise a bit as she awaited his reply.

Reverend Johnson swallowed dryly, his pulse racing as he stared into the lovely gray/blue eyes of the woman facing him. It had been years since he'd been 'out' with a woman and his 'skills' were a tad rusty. Suddenly he realized she was waiting for a reply. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he rasped hastily, "Oh, yes...and please...call me Rev...I mean...please call me Timothy...or Tim," he finished, shutting his eyes for a moment as an embarrassed flush rose in his cheeks.

She nodded and smiled, then let out a breath in a chuckle. He opened his eyes again and in response to his expression, she murmured, "Oh my...one would think we were both school children...and I must say...it seems that _you_ are as nervous right now as _I..."_

He chuckled also, rifling a hand back through his hair and nodding in admission that her assessment was right on the money. Suddenly, he remembered the Ghirardelli chocolates in his other hand and hastily brought them up, handing her the box as he murmured, "Uh...these are for you...I remember you mentioned they are your favorite..."

She smiled gratefully and nodded, taking them from him and then holding out her right hand for him to shake. "I am very pleased to meet you in person...Timothy."

"Likewise...Anna," he murmured as he reached forward and reciprocated the gesture, momentarily registering the coolness of her hand, no doubt from driving in the winter cold.

"You...you look quite different without..." she hesitated, her eyes dropping to his smooth chin.

He released her hand, his immediately reaching up to touch his now 'naked' face as he cleared his throat, wondering again if he had done the right thing by succumbing to a spur of the moment whim.

"Yes...I..." he stammered, but she smiled and shook her head, accurately reading his thoughts. "I like a man clean shaven. To be truthful...the beard was a reason I had been hesitating to meet you in person," she admitted candidly.

The Reverend smiled at that, silently congratulating himself for listening to his inner voice. "Please...shall we sit for awhile?" he asked, recovering his poise and sweeping his other hand toward one of the benches in the open area of the mall.

"I would be delighted," she responded, inclining her head toward him as she settled onto the proffered seat, admiring the handsome picture he made as he settled next to her. The thought crossed her mind that he had very good taste in clothes as she admired the stripes in the shirt he wore and how they complimented his hair, eyes, and skin tone.

"So...what shall we talk about?" he asked, flashing his full grin at his lovely companion.

Smiling in return and relaxing back against the comfortable bench, she offered with that smooth Georgia accent he found himself already quite drawn to, "Tell me about your church and its congregation."

Nodding and settling back comfortably, he took a breath to begin...

OOOOOOOO

"Michaela, I just had to tell ya this...I uncovered the mystery!" Dorothy immediately gushed the instant Michaela answered the kitchen phone.

"What mystery, Dorothy?" Michaela asked a trifle distractedly, her thoughts still centered on the prospect of her husband working a 'moonlighting' job.

"The mystery...the reason why your ancestor, Brian Cooper, left all of his childhood mementos in the floor of his room..."

"Oh!" Michaela laughed, lifting a hand to smooth a lock of hair from her forehead. "Yes, that's great. What did you find out?"

"Well, I was right, the online archives of the Rocky Mountain News had the story," the intrepid reporter returned, totally enthralled in her successful research, and the fact that her own namesake had written the original article, which was reprinted in the larger Denver paper. "It seems that in 1877*, Sully made a very powerful enemy when he persuaded the commission to deny mining rights to the Sierra Copper Company, which was owned by a man named John Caraway. In retribution, he hired some men to sneak into the homestead while Sully and Michaela were in town celebrating Michaela's birthday – and kidnap their four year old daughter!"

"Good heavens," Michaela murmured, immediately empathizing with her namesake and imagining their ancestors finding out about such a thing happening on her birthday of all days, knowing she would have been reminded of it every birthday for the rest of her life.

"The worst part was, weeks later, they found what they thought was their little girl's mangled body in the wreckage of a carriage, identified by her clothing and her favorite doll. That has to be when Brian wrote that entry in the back of his journal."

"_They_ found her body?" Michaela breathed, horrid pictures coming to her mind, and immediately remembered reading of the agonizing tension the incident caused between the child's parents. Tension so unbearable, it taxed even _their_ remarkable love nearly to the breaking point. "But it _wasn't_ Katie..." she murmured.

"No...but they didn't know that, of course," Dorothy replied, scanning the online archives for details. "They had a funeral for Katie and a month went by. Then they were told that a girl matching Katie's description had been seen crossing the border into Mexico, so they did an autopsy on the first girl and found out it wasn't Katie."

"Oh my..._Michaela_ surely must have been the one to do it..." Michaela whispered, fierce admiration welling up within as she imagined her ancestor completing the heart-wrenching task of performing an autopsy on what she believed to be the body of her own child.

"It doesn't say, but I'm sure you're right," Dorothy agreed. "From there, it almost reads like a dime novel. They followed the kidnappers deep into Mexico... found Katie... Michaela and their friends were arrested and sentenced to be executed..."

"You're not serious!"

"That's what it says..." Dorothy quickly assured. "Sully and another friend rescued them, and they all returned – with Katie – safely to Colorado Springs," she concluded.

"Thank goodness," Michaela smiled, imagining their buckskin-clad ancestor riding to his wife and friends' rescue like the hero in an old western movie.

She stepped to the window, then, to watch her husband and son exiting the barn and climbing into Sully's pickup. She knew they were headed over to see Robert E. As one hand slipped down to lovingly caress her belly, she murmured, "I'm glad they were successful...but I'm not one bit envious of their exciting adventures. I much prefer our quiet, calm, modern home life to that of the constant upheaval of the old West."

Dorothy chuckled, agreeing totally.

"I can't wait to tell Sully all of this, though," Michaela added with a grin. "I know he'll be thrilled and proud to learn more details of his namesake's heroic exploits. Send me a link to the article, will you?"

OOOOOOOO

Sully and Matthew stood next to their friend as Sully committed to memory the steps needed to safely secure a vehicle for transport.

"Now this type of tow truck works different from the ones you used in Nevada," Robert E. explained. "They used chains to secure the vehicle, right?" Sully nodded. "Well, this is what they call a 'rollback', meanin' the bed itself tilts and becomes a ramp that a car can be pulled or drove up on and locked in place."

Sully nodded again, pursing his lips as he concentrated. Robert E. went on to describe and demonstrate in detail how the vehicle worked.

"Think ya got it?" Robert E. asked several minutes later, eyeing his friend's slightly uncertain expression.

"I think so..." Sully hedged, reciting back to the other man the particular steps as Matthew watched, silently naming the steps also, and forgetting several.

"Right. But don't forget to secure the straps around the tires or through the axles before ya take off."

"Yeah, okay. Got it."

"Ya wanna practice loadin' somethin'?"

"Sounds good," Sully replied with a grin as the two men set about loading Robert E.'s personal vehicle on and unloading it off the rollback's bed. Sully performed fine.

"Okay, Sully," the burly mechanic grinned. "You're good to go. You can take it on home."

Sully grinned back and shook his friend's hand. "Thanks for this, Robert E."

"S'okay, Sully. Glad ta help ya out."

As Sully climbed into the cab of the large truck and Matthew slipped into Sully's pickup to drive it home, Robert E. added, "I told 'em just to shoot you the light stuff at first, till you get your feet wet."

Sully laughed and nodded. "Thanks. See ya later."

Robert E. nodded and tapped the door of the rollback in acknowledgement as Sully put the vehicle in gear and backed out onto the road for home.

Minutes later, the girls and Brian were duly excited as they came out of the house to watch their father backing the large vehicle up next to the porch, its shrill, high pitched backup alarm beeping merrily.

"Wow! Is this _ours_?" Brian asked as he skidded to a stop at the side rail of the porch, watching as his father put the truck into park and opened the door of the cab. To the little boy's eyes, it looked like one of his toy trucks had come to life.

Sully chuckled and shook his head.

"No, Brian, it belongs to Buzz's Towing. They're lettin' me keep it here so I can take runs from home and don't have to stay all night at their shop," he answered with a grin, but winced a little when his hand inadvertently brushed against something sharp on the seat. "Ow," he muttered, shaking his hand against the pain as his eyes scanned the area, vaguely registering the sharp end of a spring poking up from a torn place in the upholstery. _I'll have to remember to avoid that..._

Walking around the side of the porch, he met the girls as they came to him, opening his arms and accepting them against his sides.

"So, what's your title in your new job?" Hannah asked, grinning up at her handsome father.

"It's not exactly a 'job' sweet girl...I'm just doin' this to pick up a little extra money on the side. It's called, 'Moonlighting'."

As the three came up the porch steps together, Sully came face to face with his wife - an unhappy, but decidedly resigned expression on her face, her hands unconsciously caressing her belly.

Sully's eyes roamed down his wife's body, loving the long, thick, copper braid hanging to one side, and the swell of their baby at her middle.

"I'm still not thrilled about you being away at night..." she groused softly, her lips forming an exaggerated pout. The girls giggled at their mother, and Sully chuckled as he disengaged from their arms and wrapped his around his wife, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Me neither," he whispered, wiggling his eyebrows and closing one eye in a suggestive wink.

Michaela chuckled in response, but stepped back when Brian launched himself at his father, bombarding him with questions about the truck and what he would be doing on the 'runs.'

Matthew chuckled and rolled his eyes at his inquisitive little brother, reaching to ruffle his blond hair.

Avoiding the antics of Keeso jumping and prancing at their feet, the six made their way through the door.

As Michaela turned to go back into the house, shivering a little from the January cold and rubbing her arms briskly, the truck caught her eye and she glanced over at it, narrowing her eyes almost jealously and having the silly thought that the grill appeared to be grinning mockingly.

OOOOOOOO

Later that night, everyone in the house deeply asleep, Sully's cell phone rang on his nightstand, and his eyes popped open. Blinking, he rolled from his position, spooned with his wife, gingerly removing his arm from under her pillow, and stretched to retrieve the phone.

Michaela rolled to her back and slowly opened her eyes as she listened to her husband's hushed words.

"Yeah...okay, got it. Be there in a few," he told the person on the other end, disconnecting the call and shaking his head vigorously, trying to wake fully up.

"You have to go?" Michaela asked, rolling toward him and reaching for his hand as he turned to get out of his side of the bed. He paused and leaned to kiss her hand.

"Yeah, sorry sweetheart."

She watched as he dressed quickly in warm clothing to combat working outside in the January chill. Taking a moment to stoke the fire and add a few logs, he stopped at her side of the bed on his way out the door, leaning over her, one hand lovingly finding its way to the area encasing their baby as he pressed a firm, sensuous kiss to her lips. Her hands came up automatically and clasped his head, her fingers entwining in his hair as she tried to hold on to him, but he chuckled and gently disengaged.

"It's just a dead battery. Car's in a parking lot off Main. I'll be back in a jiffy," he promised, leaning in for one more kiss as his wife moaned sleepily.

"I wish you didn't have to go...I can't sleep without you..." she vowed, even as he could see her eyes closing, the firelight making shadows dance on her beautiful face.

He chuckled softly, whispering, "Keep the bed warm for me. I'll be cold when I get back."

She nodded her answer, clasping his hand and turning on her side again, his hand cradled to her chest. He shook his head, grinning, as he slipped from her grasp and silently made his way out the door, hoping this moonlighting business would end up being worth the trouble.

True to his word, he was back in under an hour – and quite cold - as the heater in the rollback's cab failed to produce much more than lukewarm heat at best.

Dragging himself up the stairs as quietly as he could, he let himself in the bedroom, glancing at his wife snuggled under the covers before shifting his gaze to his right at the low fire still burning in the fireplace. He quietly added another log to the fire, tiredly pulled off his clothing down to his t-shirt and underwear, and gently burrowed his way under the covers, inching his way over to his wife, trying hard not to wake her.

As his cold legs and hands touched her, however, she startled awake, though instantly recognized the familiar feel of her husband.

"Did you go?" she asked sleepily, thinking she had just shut her eyes.

He chuckled softly, remembering her vow to not be able to sleep without him.

"Yeah. Been gone an hour. I'm cold," he whispered.

Reaching for his hands, she gasped softly. "My goodness, you _are_ cold." Maneuvering backward into the curve of his body, tugging his left arm around her middle, and placing his hand in its customary position over the baby, she murmured, "Come on, snuggle up to me. I'll get you warm again," as he snaked his right arm back into its customary place under her pillow.

His wife's wonderful warmth instantly beginning to thaw his cold limbs, Sully sighed in grateful pleasure, allowing his body to fully relax for the first time since the phone had startled him awake.

Just before he dropped back into sleep, he mused, _Why did I tell Robert E. I'd take the night shift?_

OOOOOOOO

Sully sat at the dining table the next morning, bleary eyed, head resting on one hand, and ruing the decision he had made about this 'moonlighting' job.

Having settled back into a comfortable sleep after the first run, his cell phone had startled him awake two hours later, the dispatcher informing him of yet another person stranded and in need of help, though that time it was someone just coming out of a bar only to find their car wouldn't start. Sully had dragged himself out of his warm bed once again, to the chagrin of his pregnant wife, managed to dress again in the warm outer clothing, though later realizing he had put his shirt on inside out, and stumbled down the stairs to the truck waiting next to the porch.

It had seemed to him that second time as if the grill of the truck was grinning mockingly at him as it 'watched' him stumble his way to the cab - then it seemed to determinedly withhold the heat, causing him to shiver the entire way to his destination and back, while dodging the spring poking dangerously out of the well worn upholstery of the extremely uncomfortable driver's seat. In one night he had already learned to dislike that truck immensely.

"You don't look so good, Dad," Hannah observed as she and the others settled at the table for breakfast.

"Your father was called out in the tow truck twice last night," Michaela answered for her husband, pausing next to him and gently running a hand through his hair as she lovingly drew his head against her side. He took in a deep, tired breath, nuzzling his face against her belly; her smooth hands and loving touch, as always, making him feel better all over - at least a little. He smiled fondly as he felt the baby give his cheek a soft nudge, as if it were trying to comfort him, too.

"Gosh, was it a wreck? Was there lots of blood and stuff?" Brian asked excitedly, garnering looks of disgust and exclamations of "Brian!" from his sisters, and rolled eyes and a gentle push from his brother.

"Brian! What a thing to ask!" Michaela scolded, albeit gently. "And even if it were, that isn't something to be excited about," she added firmly, placing a bowl of oatmeal on the table and giving her youngest a stern look. "One should never be excited over another person's pain and suffering, Brian."

"Sorry, Mama," the boy murmured.

"No, Brian. They weren't wrecks...just cars that wouldn't start," Sully tiredly answered, slipping a hand in front of his mouth as he tried to stifle a yawn, the effort causing his eyes to tear up.

"Aww, that ain't nothin'," the boy muttered, disappointed.

"Was it excitin', though? Your first night on your new job?" Colleen asked, digging in to a piece of buttered toast slathered with strawberry jam.

Sully chuckled tiredly, admitting to himself that even _he_ had thought he would have been 'excited' on his first night.

"No, sweet girl. It was cold...and tiring...and both people I had to deal with were rude and claimed I took too long to get there."

The others shook their heads in sympathy, lapsing into silence as everyone began to eat their breakfast.

As Sully ate his oatmeal, he paused to yawn again, shaking his head to try and clear the cobwebs.

Michaela watched him, feeling a strange mix of sympathy for his fatigue and annoyance for the reason.

"You're going to church, aren't you?" she asked in a slightly accusing tone.

He drew in a breath, shutting his eyes momentarily. "Yeah I guess...just hope I don't fall asleep durin' the Reverend's sermon."

At her sigh, he opened his eyes and glanced sideways at her, adding, "I think I need some coffee...lots of it."

As Michaela smiled and moved to rise and retrieve it, Hannah jumped up. "I'll get it, Mom. I know how he likes it."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

Sully gratefully accepted the piping hot cup from his daughter with a tired smile, testing it with his lip before downing a large gulp. Michaela watched him, arguments against this disruption of their home life forming in her mind.

Just then, Matthew glanced over at the fireplace and smiled softly, watching a tender scene unfolding.

"Look over there, guys," he murmured softly, the rest turning or craning their necks to follow his line of sight.

There on the floor next to the hearth, Keeso seemed to be trying valiantly to get his father to pay attention to him. Poor Wolf, since returning from his traumatic three days in the woods and the death of his lady love, had been doing nothing much but moping around sadly and lying by the fire. The kids had tried multiple times to persuade him to play or interact, but he had resisted their every attempt.

Now, as the family watched, the puppy seemed to know just what to do to begin to bring his father out of his doldrums. With lively antics, his little tail wagging happily, Keeso repeatedly burrowed against the larger dog, playfully nipping at his ears or paws, and generally being adorable.

"Yip! Yip yip!" the tiny dog barked, backing up and barreling full tilt against his father.

Sully opened his mouth to reprimand the pup, thinking his old friend just wanted to be left alone to grieve a little longer, but stopped when he saw Wolf raise his head and look into the eyes of his offspring. Keeso stopped still.

Everyone at the table held their breath to see what the older dog would do. After a few moments of nose to nose contact, Wolf seemed to soften, his large fluffy tail thumping several times against the floor to evidence his mood. The pup seemed to 'activate' again, jumping playfully back and forth over his prone parent until Wolf stopped him with a paw across his back and leaned to give the youngster a few calming licks.

Then, as if coming out of a fog, Wolf's eyes moved to focus on the humans at the table, meeting their concerned eyes. Thumping his tail again, he rose to his feet and slowly walked toward them, the pup bounding around him, the two reminiscent of a pair of old cartoon characters.

Wolf walked straight to Sully, stopping next to his chair and gazing up at his best friend, his brown eyes trying to communicate his feelings and needs.

Sully smiled and reached out to his long time friend, gently caressing the big head and softly scratching behind one ear. Brian reached down to scoop the pup into his arms as Sully murmured softly, "Hey boy...you okay?"

The large animal seemed to take in a shuddering, emotional breath, as if trying to shake off his melancholy, before turning his head slightly and giving his master's hand a tiny lick in response.

As one, the girls came around the table, dropping to their knees and taking the beautiful malamute into their arms, showering him with hugs and kisses. Michaela exchanged a soft smile with Matthew as Brian returned the squirming pup to the floor, only to miss preventing him from scrambling over to his sire again for some more puppy antics.

Wolf playfully growled low in his throat, leaning his head to give his little son a tiny playful nip, but nuzzling him afterward as the family laughed at his canine parental discipline.

Taking a large gulp of his coffee, Sully's eyes twinkled softly as he watched, thankful that the furry member of his family seemed to be getting back to normal.

He and Michaela's eyes met, and she reached out to take his hand, her lips forming her special half smile as she murmured softly, "Isn't it amazing what the love of a child can do?"

Sully smiled in agreement, tugging on her hand to prompt her to stand and step over to him. He pulled her down on his lap, settling his hands lovingly onto her rounded belly as he imagined what the love of _this_ child would do for them all when he or she finally arrived.

Settling into her husband's arms, they both sighed contentedly as they watched their children, including the ones with fur, rolling and playing together on the floor in innocent happiness – even the nearly grown up Matthew joining in the fun.

...

*There is no correct way to list the year of Katie's kidnapping. If you go by the movie, it starts with the words "Colorado Springs 1877," on the screen, which of course would make Katie older than four. If you go with an earlier year, you negate the movie.


	18. The Pile Up

**CHAPTER 18 – THE PILE UP**

"Well, look who's the big spender tonight," Jake teased their friends as he helped his wife into her jacket, standing next to their table in "The Famous" restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs.

Loren and Dorothy exchanged grins with the other couple.

"You two make the third set of familiar faces we have seen tonight," Teresa explained, indicating with a nod the booth next to them as she allowed Jake to finish slipping the warm jacket on her arms.

"Hey Horace," Loren teased. "You make enough working for the post office to afford this place?"

"Hey, now that's not funny, Loren. And it's not nice ta tease me in front of Myra, here – she might get the wrong impression or somethin'," Horace sputtered, his big lips drawing into an almost pout, his face turning red as he glanced at his sweet dinner companion.

"Oh Horace, don't you worry about that. How much money a man makes don't make him a man. It's what's inside that counts," Myra countered, smiling sweetly at her beau as a slight shiver ran through her body at the memory of her ex-boss – Preston Lodge.

Turning to the others, she gushed, "I can't believe we're all here at the same time tonight. That's just too wild."

"But where were _you_ guys?" Jake asked Loren as he pulled on his own jacket.

"We were over there, on the far side," the older man explained, clearing his throat.

"Ahh – _the booth in the back, in the corner, in the dark_, huh?" Jake teased, causing a blush to rise in Dorothy's creamy cheeks. Jake chuckled happily.

"What _you_ doin' here, Jake? Ain't this place a little 'rich' for your blood?" the old man returned in retribution, grinning innocently when the blond haired barber flashed a look his way.

"It's me and Teresa's twelfth anniversary, and she wanted to come here," he answered, unperturbed. "...They give ya big portions," he added with a twinkle, earning himself a teasing push from his obviously pregnant wife.

"I cannot help that I must eat for two, Jacob Slicker - which is, by the way, _your_ fault," she returned sassily, as she gazed up at her husband, eyebrows arched challengingly.

"_My_ fault? You wanted a baby just as much as _me_, as I recall," he immediately responded, enjoying flustering his beautiful wife with his teasing.

"Hey, watch it there, you two," Loren warned with a sardonic grin. "Sully says this place causes couples to turn on each other like wolves...no matter how much 'in love' they are."

"That right?" Jake asked with a grin, wishing he knew the details of the rancher and his doctor wife 'turning' on each other in the middle of a restaurant. "Hmm, I better shut up, then. I know better than to get my she-lion too riled."

All six laughed merrily as Teresa pretended to extend her claws and growl at him.

"I think we're gonna head on home," Jake replied, noticing a trace of fatigue on his beautiful wife's face. "Besides, I hear a snow storm is on the way."

"Oh dear, I surely don't want to be out in that. Loren, perhaps we should call it a night, too," Dorothy suggested, receiving an agreeable nod from her dinner companion.

"I think ya right. We can see that movie another night."

"Myra, I think I better get ya on home," Horace murmured, turning to signal the waiter to bring their bill.

With that, two of the couples made their way out the door into the cold night as they called 'good nights' to each other, each person holding their coats firmly closed against the stiff breeze and thinking it did, indeed, feel like snow was in the air.

OOOOOOOO

"That was a lovely dinner, Timothy," Anna Marie expressed as the Reverend escorted his beautiful companion to his car.

"Yes, it was," he replied, turning his jacket collar up against the stiff, cold breeze. "Though I can't believe we sat there four hours, talking! I don't believe I've ever stayed in a restaurant until closing time before," he added with a chuckle.

"And I've never known a man I could talk to about so many things," she answered. "Isn't it amazing how much we have in common?"

"Yes. Yes it is," he agreed, flashing her a smile. "I guess those online sites really know their business."

"When my sister suggested I sign up, I confess...I had no faith that it would work at all!" Anna chuckled. "Oh me of little faith!"

The Reverend laughed along with her, happier and more at ease with a woman than he'd ever felt in his life. It was like they had known each other all their lives – and yet – felt so fresh and new together, so eager to find out every tiny detail of the other's personality...it was the best of both worlds.

As a particularly sharp gust of wind blew her hair across her face for a moment, she gasped, "Oh my...I do believe there is snow in the air, Timothy."

"Yes, I think you're right. Come on, maybe I can get you home and get back before it starts."

"I surely hope so," she nodded as she slid into the passenger seat. He shut the door and sprinted around to his side.

OOOOOOOO

Michaela and Sully stood with the horses just in front of the porch. Prince and Flash stood placidly while Sully checked Flash's girth and adjusted her saddle, his brow furrowed. Michaela knew he was a little concerned about her riding in her condition.

"I don't know, Michaela. Maybe this ain't such a good idea. You ain't been on a horse in a while..." her protective husband murmured, trying to dissuade his wife from riding. She was being particularly stubborn.

"I will be fine, Sully. You worry too much," she answered confidently.

"I just care about ya is all," he returned, grinning lovingly at her.

Climbing up on Flash with surprising agility, Michaela settled herself as Sully swung up on Prince, situating himself on the big horse's bare back.

Adjusting the reins in one hand, Michaela turned her head, her long hair swishing around her shoulders and back as the sun beaming through the trees gave it a copper sheen.

With a raised eyebrow and a risqué glance at her husband, she murmured throatily, "Race you."

Before he could say a word, she kicked her heels against Flash's side with a "Yah!" and off they went.

"Hah!" Sully yelled to Prince and clamped the big black horse's sides tightly with his legs, nudging him into action as he took off like a light.

"Come on! Yah!" Michaela encouraged Flash, as the smaller, lighter horse sprang into a fast canter. Grinning madly and hearing her husband just yards behind her encouraging his big thoroughbred faster, Michaela clamped down, leaning over Flash's neck.

As Sully caught up with his fetching wife, chuckling in victory and just about to pass her, the road forked and he took the hill to the left.

"Hey!" he yelled at her as she veered to the low path on the right. Leaning over and allowing Flash to stretch into a full gallop, Michaela's happy giggles floating up to him on the morning breeze.

The two paths met up again at the bottom of the hill, and Michaela easily passed her husband with yards to spare, urging her horse onward.

Amid carefree laughter, they came barreling up minutes later on the backside of Loren's store.

"I won! I won!" Michaela laughed, pulling Flash up sharply as Sully did the same with Prince, chuckling merrily.

"You _cheated_!" he teased, his grin large as he happily watched his breathless and beautiful wife lean over to give her horse a loving pat.

Opening the back door of the store, Loren stepped out in the warm sunshine, flashing them his sardonic grin as Robert E. poked his head out of the back door of his station next door, wondering about the commotion. When he saw it was Sully and Michaela frolicking together playfully, he grinned and waved before turning back inside.

"I oughta call the police and have you two arrested for disturbin' the peace!" Loren groused playfully.

Then, looking his surrogate daughter-in-law up and down, he commented, "Hey Michaela...you have the baby already?"

The expectant parents both switched their gazes to Michaela's stomach, belatedly realizing it was, indeed, completely flat. Michaela's eyes grew wide with fear and worry, looking to her husband's for an answer to this unexpected development. Her fear doubled when she saw his bewildered look. _I don't remember having the baby! _Her mind screamed.

As Sully opened his mouth to speak, his cell phone rang.

Anger instantly rose up within Michaela like the Kilauea Volcano, and if she'd been a woman given to using bad language, she would have cussed.

"Can't you turn that thing off?" she groused impatiently. "This is _important_! Every time I need you, that stupid phone rings!"

"Sheesh, I'm _sorry_," Sully murmured, shrugging helplessly as he took the phone off his belt and pressed the connect button.

"Aggh!" Michaela fussed in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest in unreasonable fury. Her brows furrowed, however, when the phone kept up its incessant ringing even though Sully had answered it.

Slowly surfacing from her very real dream, Michaela opened her eyes and blinked, realizing her husband's phone really was ringing, but he was too deeply asleep to hear it.

Sighing with resignation, she moved her hand and patted his arm, gently shaking him awake as she thought about the many times this had occurred since he began his 'moonlighting' the week before.

"Hmm?" he slurred groggily, having only just gotten back to sleep. Before she could say anything, however, he heard the phone himself and slowly rolled over to answer it.

"This is Sully," he slurred tiredly into the phone, one hand rubbing his bloodshot eyes.

Michaela clamped her mouth shut, aching to tell him to give up this 'venture' that was robbing both of them of their sleep, causing arguments, fatigue, and more – all to rescue drunks who lose their keys, or stumble out to their cars, to find they have left their lights on and ran their batteries down.

Slowly, as Sully listened, he sat up straighter on the bed, suddenly seeming to come fully awake. Michaela could just barely hear the 'wah wah' of the dispatcher's voice, almost sounding like the teacher in a Charlie Brown cartoon. That thought might have made her smile, but something about the sudden tension in her husband's body made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. She sat up in the bed, leaning toward him and trying to understand the words.

"Oh my God," her husband murmured, causing a chill to wash over Michaela's body and she swallowed dryly, placing a hand on his arm.

"Sully?" she whispered.

"Yeah... I'm on my way... Right..." he answered the dispatcher, pressing the disconnect button.

Turning to his wife, he swallowed thickly, his eyes large and shadowy in the soft firelight. "It started snowin'...causin' a huge pile up on I-25...they're sayin' as many as thirty semis jackknifed, some kind of a convoy or somthin'...dozens of cars involved...they need every tow truck that can to get out to the scene."

"I'm going with you!" Michaela blurted, flinging back the covers and swinging her feet out of bed, having already switched into doctor mode the instant she had heard 'dozens of cars involved.'

"Michaela! It's cold and wet out there – and dangerous – and I got no idea how long I'll be or how many cars I'll have to transport," he argued. "It could take the rest of the night."

"I don't care. There are people injured, and I can help triage them until the ambulances can make their way through," she insisted.

"Michaela, no!" Sully snapped at her, worry for her wellbeing and that of the baby foremost in his mind.

Turning toward him, she placed her hands on her hips and looked him straight in the eye. "Byron Sully, if you do not take me with you in the truck, I will simply drive myself in the Escalade. Either way suits me fine. But I'm going. _Period_," she stated firmly, the first time in their marriage that she had blatantly defied his wishes.

They stared at each other for several moments, a battle of wills. Then Sully drew in a deep breath and huffed it back out, realizing he was not going to win the argument, and also realizing that she was right, she probably would be of great help. Plus, he reasoned, if she rode with him, at least when it was over, he would be sure she was safe and resting on the way back.

Conceding defeat, he murmured, "All right. But let's hurry, okay?"

"I'll be dressed before you," she challenged as she quickly twisted her hair into a loose braid before slipping into warm socks and underwear as he reached for the clothes he had removed an hour before.

OOOOOOOO

After quietly waking Matthew, apprising him of the situation, and admonishing him to watch out for his siblings, the couple quickly left the warmth of their home and stepped out into a 'winter wonderland' of blowing snow. Sully assisted his wife up into the high cab of the rollback and stowed her medical bag near her feet. She shivered as the cold metal and vinyl of the cab immediately began to seep in through her warm clothes.

"Sorry about the cold. And this stupid truck's heater don't work."

"That's alright...now I see what _you've_ been dealing with all week," she murmured softly, exchanging smiles with him before he firmly closed her door and made his way around to his.

Within minutes, they reached the on-ramp to the interstate. Rounding the first curve, they spotted blue lights, the truck's worn windshield wipers smearing the continuously falling snow, making visibility difficult. The flashing yellow lights on the rollback added to the colorful spectacle of blue and red lights, eerily illuminating the falling ice crystals against the night sky. Sully moved slowly forward, edging over into the emergency lane, rolling past the cars that had pulled to a stop behind the massive wreckage area after the accident.

Making it to the outer edge of the wreckage, Sully slowed to a crawl, waiting for a uniformed officer to direct him.

"I'm getting out here," Michaela suddenly expressed, reaching down for her bag and opening her door.

"Michaela, be careful! It's probably slick out there!" Sully cautioned, glancing quickly back and forth between his wife and their surroundings as he brought the truck to a full stop.

Michaela carefully climbed down and began making her way into the chaos as she shielded her eyes from the bits of snow trying to get past her lashes to obscure her vision. As she moved closer, a cacophony of sounds assailed her ears - people trapped in their cars yelling for help, women and children crying, men shouting instructions, horns blaring, and sirens wailing in the distance.

An officer approached the obviously pregnant woman. "Ma'am, I'm afraid you'll have to turn back..."

"I'm a physician, Officer...Kelly," she explained, quickly reading the man's name tag on his jacket. "I came with my husband to help where needed."

"Your husband?"

"Yes...he's driving that rollback over there," she answered, pointing toward the truck.

"Well, good," the officer stated, immediately changing his tune. "Actually, we could really use your help – the ambulances have had a hard time getting here," he added, gently taking her arm, and leading her to the nearest injured man. "Dr..." the officer prompted.

"Dr. Michaela Quinn-Sully," she replied, already bending to the injured man and assessing his vital signs. "But, call me Dr. Mike...it's easier," she offered with a half grin. He nodded.

"Dr. Mike...you are actually the first doctor on scene..."

Michaela opened her mouth to reply when a familiar voice called, "Dr. Mike!"

Glancing around, Michaela smiled as Reverend Johnson hurried to her side.

"Goodness, I'm glad to see you..." he began, running a hand through his hair in characteristic nervousness.

"Reverend, were you involved in the accident?" Michaela asked, automatically reaching toward his hands when she saw blood on them and his sleeves.

"No, I pulled up behind just after it happened...coming back from Manitou," he added. "I've been doing my best to try and help some of the people..."

Michaela nodded, and instantly began to take charge. Assessing the first man as having only mild lacerations, she moved from vehicle to vehicle, the Reverend and several uniformed officers assisting. Maneuvering carefully through the vast wreckage while trying not to slip in the continuously falling snow, Michaela checked injuries, comforted frightened children, and cautioned well-meaning people to be careful and not move the injured until she could assess them.

Near the center of the pack, Michaela gasped as she recognized their friends Jake and Teresa, trapped in their vehicle, which had been hit on three sides. Jake was still unconscious, after having hit his head on the dashboard while successfully shielding his pregnant wife from harm.

"Dr. Mike!" Teresa called in tears when she saw her friend.

"Teresa, are you alright?" Michaela asked in great concern as she tried to reach in through the broken windows to assess their injuries. Stretching carefully, she pressed the bell of her stethoscope to the side of Teresa's stomach and closed her eyes to concentrate over the noise all around, very relieved to hear the rapid thumping of the baby's heartbeat.

"Si, I am fine...it is Jacob I am worried over..." the woman replied, tears streaming down her face as she held her husband's blond head against her breast, a large gash on his forehead bleeding profusely. "He is still unconscious..."

"Try not to move him too much. We'll get you out as soon as possible," Michaela responded, quickly turning to find volunteers to get the doors of the battered automobile open. Out of the darkness another familiar face emerged, Horace, along with his girlfriend, Myra. Michaela hugged them quickly, and set Horace to assisting with the Slicker's crushed doors.

"What can I do to help?" Myra offered, her arms wrapped around her body as she fought to try and warm herself in the miserable cold.

Michaela smiled at the sweet, gentle young woman and glanced around, pointing to a nearby vehicle and giving her a quick assignment.

Just then, an officer motioned Michaela over to check on one little girl, trapped in a compact car that had become wedged underneath one of the semis. The child's mother and brother had been killed, and she had apparently been asleep on the back seat. Several men had already tried to free the trapped car, and Michaela was relieved to see the first fire truck arrive and set to work with their 'jaws of life.'

Issuing strict orders to load the child into an ambulance as quickly as possible, she alerted the hospital to have a surgeon standing by as she feared the little girl may have internal injuries. Then leaving the Reverend there to help comfort the child, Michaela moved on to other victims, inwardly shocked at the massive amount of wreckage and injured strewn over nearly a quarter mile, in a 'blind curve' section of the highway.

Hearing a female voice call her name, Michaela swung around and tried to focus on where the voice came from through the noise and chaos surrounding her, swiping at snowflakes blown into her eyes as she faced into the wind. "Michaela!" she heard again, finally seeing a hand waving at her from the smashed door of a car near the beginning of the wreckage.

"Dorothy!" Michaela answered, gingerly making her way over the broken glass and dirty snow on the roadway. She slipped at one point and just barely was able to turn in time, her back hitting against a wrecked car instead of her belly. Redoubling her efforts at being careful, she continued the last few yards to their vehicle.

Though battered and scraped, and suffering slight cases of whiplash, the older couple appeared to be all right, however, Michaela insisted that they both be checked out at the hospital via the next available ambulance.

"What are you doing out here, Michaela?" Loren asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Where's Sully?"

"He's driving one of the tow trucks, helping to remove the wrecked vehicles," she answered. "When he was called in, I came with him to help."

"You just make sure you be careful," the old man insisted. Then turning his head painfully to survey their surroundings, he murmured, "I can't believe this...it all happened so fast..."

"Loren...please just try to sit quietly until the ambulance can transport you," Michaela advised with a fond smile, reaching to feel his neck with expert fingers, worried that he was craning his neck too far.

"All right...Dr. Mike," he answered with a soft smile, patting her hand as she affectionately laid it on his shoulder.

Moving on, with the help of several officers and EMTs, she began working to set up a triage in the empty trailer of one of the involved semis to provide some shelter from the weather as she assessed which patients needed to be transported first. As more ambulances reached the scene, each medical team deferred to her as the unofficial head of the rescue effort.

"The truck in front of me jackknifed," one semi-driver, James Benge, explained as Michaela treated cuts and scrapes on his face and hands. "I tried to get stopped, but just couldn't. After that, it was just one big reaction after another." Michaela nodded in understanding as she worked, speaking soothingly to him, knowing he was feeling a certain amount of guilt for the devastation.

"I saw a semi going every which way, and we was trying to stop and I saw a big pile of semis in front of us, all piled together," elderly driver Emmett Perkins nervously explained to the gentle lady doctor sometime later as he and his wife sat in the 'triage' unit.

Michaela smiled softly at the couple, watching them holding and comforting one another, the husband especially concerned about his fragile wife. The thought went through her mind that this was how she and Sully would probably be as they approached the end of their lives together. Picturing such a poignant scene, Michaela wondered momentarily about her husband's location just then, but forced herself to push personal feelings aside and remain professional.

Local news crews began arriving on scene. Shielding the cameras from the still blowing snow, they began to make the rounds. Slogging through the increasingly messy sludge, they attempted to speak to injured witnesses and busy officers, while reporting live on the air for their viewers or taping segments to be shown later that day.

Michaela politely turned away the first two attempts made to interview her, not wanting to take the time from those who needed her services. But as the night wore on and the worst cases had been loaded into ambulances, she took a much needed break in the back of the Channel 5 News van, sipping hot chocolate from a thermos thoughtfully provided by one of the crew as she spoke candidly with reporter Kate Collins about her involvement.

"This is Dr. Michaela Quinn-Sully," the young reporter informed the viewers. Then turning to Michaela, she asked, "Dr. Quinn-Sully, it's my understanding that you were the first medical personnel to arrive on the scene, is that correct?"

"Yes, it is," Michaela answered, her eyes diverted momentarily to the back window of the van as she spotted her husband pulling into view, and beginning to back up to yet another stricken vehicle. "My husband was called in with his tow truck to help clear the scene. We live nearby and when he told me about the accident, I opted to ride with him and see if I could be of any assistance."

"I spoke with Officer James Kelly, and he indicated that you immediately began coordinating the entire rescue effort..." Ms. Collins prompted, smiling encouragingly at the tired doctor.

"Well, yes, but that was only because I was the first physician on scene..." Michaela hedged in customary humility.

The reporter smiled, recalling the glowing reports she had had from others at the scene concerning the lady physician...the _pregnant_ lady physician. Her respect for Michaela as a woman and as a doctor had grown with each interview.

"I understand Penrose Hospital activated its _mass casualty plan_, preparing for a large number of casualties from the crash. Is that correct...and have you been in contact with them?"

"Yes, I have been in contact with the physicians on duty there, as well as the other hospitals in the area, helping coordinate which hospital to send patients to so that the facility would be prepared to receive the injured as they arrived," Michaela explained, pulling her coat around her in reaction to someone opening the back of the van and letting in cold, snowy air.

Nodding, the reporter continued, "What sort of injuries have you encountered here tonight, Dr. Sully?"

"Mostly cuts and scrapes, broken arms or legs, although there were quite a few that could perhaps have internal injuries," Michaela answered, adding, "There is one little girl, however, who was trapped in a car wedged underneath one of the semis...she was in very serious condition when they were finally able to free her..." she paused, not wanting to add that she didn't think the little girl would even survive the ride to the hospital.

The woman continued to ask specific questions regarding injuries and if Michaela knew which vehicle or semi began the chain reaction. Michaela, of course, did not know.

"Thank you, Dr. Quinn-Sully...or Dr. Mike as I've heard several officers call you," the young reporter ended, turning to face the cameras, and finishing her broadcast.

When the cameraman switched his camera off, the young lady turned again to Michaela, reaching out and offering her hand to shake, commenting, "From what I've seen, Dr. Mike...the mayor of Colorado Springs just might award you with a medal for your efforts here tonight."

"Oh, I don't know about that...I was only doing what was needed..." Michaela humbly argued. Then spotting an officer motioning to her, she excused herself and climbed back out into the cold, wet night.

The rescue efforts continued throughout the night, with Sully, Robert E., and many other drivers transporting numerous wrecked vehicles to a staging area just off the nearest interstate exit – the cleanup effort so massive that oncoming traffic had to be detoured off the highway and through the heart of Colorado Springs.

As Sully returned each time, his anxious eyes scanned through the chaos, both extremely proud and protectively worried as he spotted his physician wife directly in the thick of things, uniformed officers coming to her left and right for instructions regarding the injured. Several times, a proud smile graced his face as he watched her, in total command thanks to her years of residency in the Trauma Center of the ER at Massachusetts General.

In all, seventy vehicles were involved in the pile up, including the thirty semis, several buses, vans, numerous cars, and pickup trucks.

Nearing dawn, a thoroughly fatigued Michaela stumbled as she turned from attending to one of the few people left to be seen. The Reverend had kept one eye on the lady physician, especially after Sully had taken him aside and asked it of him as a personal favor.

Taking charge, he moved near to her and gently took her elbow, murmuring, "Dr. Mike...maybe you should go on home now...you really shouldn't get over tired in your condition..."

Having in mind to argue, she glanced up into his concerned brown eyes and changed her mind, suddenly realizing she was, in truth, exhausted.

Smiling and closing her eyes for a moment, she murmured, "Yes...perhaps you're right."

Glancing around, the Reverend motioned for Officer Kelly.

"Officer Kelly, I'm gonna take Dr. Mike on home now. Will you let her husband know for me?"

The officer nodded, reaching to shake Michaela's hand. "Dr. Mike, I can't thank you enough for all you've done here tonight. Your presence made a horrible situation more manageable...and your professionalism is without equal." At her grateful smile, he added with a twinkle, "Your husband's a lucky man."

Agreeing, the Reverend flashed a smile at the kind officer. "Oh believe me, Sully knows it." Michaela flashed tired but grateful smiles at the two men.

Just then, Sully's truck could be seen coming back from delivering his latest load. As he neared, his eyes were drawn to his wife, and he instantly noticed how fatigued she appeared, one hand unconsciously supporting her lower back, the other her rounded belly, as she spoke with the men. Worry and protectiveness rose up in his heart, and he turned the vehicle, stopping several yards away and quickly shifting the truck into park. Leaving it running, he hopped down and made his way over to them.

"Sweetheart...ya okay?" he murmured as he reached her, and gently took her in his arms.

"Yes...just a little tired," she answered softly, closing her eyes at the wonderfully welcome feel of her husband's embrace, in spite of the fact that his jacket was wet with snow.

Glancing around, he murmured, "Looks like you got things pretty well buttoned up..."

"Mr. Sully, we were just saying Dr. Mike here should go on home. She's done a night's work out here tonight, that's for sure," the police officer interjected, the Reverend nodding in agreement.

Before Sully could answer, Sgt. James Anderson, the officer in charge of the removal of the wrecked vehicles, jogged up to them.

"Hey Sully, I think the rest of the drivers can handle it from here. Why don't you transport that Kia there and drop it off on your way home...looks like your Mrs. is about done in..."

"Okay Jim, thanks," Sully responded, already helping Michaela gather her things as the officer thanked him for his good work. Shielding his wife from the blowing snow, Sully escorted her to the cab of his truck.

At her grimace, remembering the chilly trip out to the scene, Sully grinned and opened the passenger door, explaining, "I found out after it runs a few hours, the heater straightens out..."

She chuckled tiredly as he placed his hands on her waist and hoisted her up into the nice, warm cab, where she waited in relative comfort for him to load his last damaged vehicle so they could head on home.

OOOOOOOO

Turning onto Hanover, Sully glanced at his passenger, noting her head was resting back against the headrest, her eyes closed. Allowing his eyes to caress his precious wife, he noticed she had one hand cupping the lower curve of her belly, while the other was slowly massaging her right hip.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he asked softly, reaching over to place a comforting hand on her thigh.

She stirred sleepily, her eyes opening with a tired smile. "Yes, I'm fine...just...very tired."

He nodded with a smile, although she had already closed her eyes again. "We'll be home in a few."

Several minutes later, he pulled the large truck to a stop next to the house, not even bothering to back it in. He was _very tired_ himself. Stifling a yawn, he put the truck into park and turned it off, climbing wearily out of the cab, and making his way around the front, while trying not to slip in the wet and slushy, now four-inch deep snow.

Opening the passenger door, his wife, now nearly asleep from exhaustion, blindly reached a hand toward him, her eyes still shut. He smiled again as he reached up, guiding her arm around his shoulder as he scooped her into his arms.

"Sully...I can walk..." she protested softly, eyes fluttering open even as her head lowered itself to his shoulder of its own volition.

"I know ya can, but your hip's hurtin' again, ain't it," he gently stated more than asked, carefully beginning to make his way to the porch steps.

She smiled tiredly, burrowing her nose against his warm neck as the wet snow silently filtered down. "Have I no secrets from you?" she teased softly.

"Nope. So quit tryin' to hide stuff from me," he fussed gently, turning his head to press a kiss to her cheek.

Maneuvering his way slowly up the steps, Sully glanced at his wife's face concernedly as he heard her wince. As they finally reached the porch, she winced again, murmuring, "Oh Sully, put me down...your belt buckle...it's gouging me..."

He lowered her quickly to her feet, both pausing at the door while she acclimated herself to standing again, the muscles in her legs complaining harshly. Sully hovered in concern as she briskly rubbed her right hip.

Suddenly chuckling, she slowly shook her head. "Oh my...right now, I feel as if I'm ninety."

"Well, if ya are, you're the prettiest...and sexiest ninety-year-old I've ever seen," he teased softly.

"Sexy," she whispered, chuckling softly, leaning to softly nuzzle his nose with hers. "I've forgotten what that feels like."

"Mmm, not me," he murmured with a teasing growl, eliciting a tired chuckle from his wife.

Ushering her on inside the warm house, Sully shut and locked the door, and turned to assist her out of her coat. Then slowly, tiredly, the two made their way upstairs and back to bed – the bed they had vacated four hours before.

OOOOOOOOO

As tired as he was, Sully couldn't fall asleep, his senses acutely tuned to the faint moans and moves of his five month's pregnant wife lying next to him as she tried to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. As she moved her legs for what seemed the hundredth time, she let out an involuntary gasp of pain.

Instantly, Sully sat up, hovering concernedly over her, trying to see her face in the pre-dawn light.

"Chaela?" he murmured softly.

"Oh Sully...I can't seem to fall asleep...I ache all over, especially my hips and legs," Michaela admitted, hotly berating herself for pushing way past any limits of endurance during the rescue efforts.

"Is the baby alright?" he asked gently, reaching out to smooth a soothing hand over her stomach.

"Yes, my stomach is the only area that _doesn't_ hurt," she answered, her brow furrowing.

"Want somethin' for the pain?" he asked, already throwing back the covers and swinging his legs tiredly out of the bed – again.

"Mmm," she groaned miserably.

Quickly, wearing just his underwear and t-shirt, Sully padded down to the living room for the electric heating pad she had used many times while sitting and watching television, grabbed the bottle of Tylenol from the kitchen cupboard, and a glass of water, and headed back upstairs to his wife.

Plugging the heating pad in, he set it to high, and then helped Michaela sit up to take the pain pills, in spite of her protests that she was too tired to do so. Then as she lowered herself back down, he positioned the pad around her right hip, the one that hurt the most, and climbed onto the bed again, positioning himself next to her legs.

"Tell me where it hurts..." he murmured softly, gently placing his hands on one thigh.

She drew in a deep, tired breath, whispering, "Everywhere...but especially...here...and here," she added, moving her hand over several particularly achy areas.

Sully began to slowly and ever so gently kneed and massage her legs and hips, his fingers having already become expert in just how much pressure to exert.

"Mmmm," Michaela crooned, drawing in the first relaxing breath she had taken in hours. "That feels nice."

"Good," her loving husband whispered, relieved to see the hint of a smile begin to grace his beautiful wife's lips. "You just keep relaxin," he encouraged, stifling a yawn against his shoulder.

After several wonderful minutes, between the heat and her husband's patient massaging, Michaela was finally able to fall asleep – her tired and relieved husband only moments behind.

It had been a long, long night for them both.


	19. Life is Precious

**CHAPTER 19 – Life is Precious **

"Michaela...sweetheart...come on...we're gonna be late," Sully admonished two mornings later as he stood near the front door holding his wife's coat. The kids had already exited, each one rolling their eyes or grimacing, and were in the Escalade, ready to go to church.

"Just one more bite," his normally ladylike wife answered as she took another bite of the large dill pickle in her hand, chewing as fast as she could.

Sully shook his head, chuckling softly. "I don't see _how_ you can eat so many of those things...and you want 'em at the strangest times," he added teasingly.

"Cn't hep it," she mumbled, quickly placing two delicate fingers over her mouth in an attempt at manners. "I jst get these crvings," she added, swallowing the large mouthful of pickle. "They overpower me."

Sully chuckled again. "I _know_...now you comin' or not? The girls gotta have time to get ready."

Nodding, she gobbled down the last bite, murmuring, "I'w be ight out," as she hurried into the downstairs restroom.

Shaking his head with a sigh, he plopped down on a kitchen chair to wait, so he could help her on with her coat, chuckling when he heard the telltale sound of gargling coming from her direction.

OOOOOOOOO

"Hey Sully, you survive Friday night?" Robert E. teased, clapping his friend on the back as he came up beside him just inside the door of the church.

Sully grinned and lowered his head, chuckling, then glanced around as he admitted, "Yeah...but it 'bout killed me."

"I hear ya," his friend replied, eyebrows lifted in heartfelt understanding. "You know, I didn't even open the shop Saturday," he added with a self-deprecating laugh. "I'm really startin' to rethink this moonlightin' thing. I'm thinkin' workin' all day and gettin' no sleep at night just ain't cuttin' it, you know?"

"Amen to that," the rancher heartily agreed.

"Think maybe we're startin' to get old, Sully?" his friend laughed and moved aside to let someone pass by.

"I'm feelin' it," Sully laughed with a grin. Then, however, his grin faded as he glanced over at his wife, gingerly lowering herself into their pew. "I was real worried about Michaela that night," he shared, glancing at his friend and then back at his wife. "She did too much...she was hurtin' all over and couldn't sleep when we finally did get back home."

"She okay now?" their concerned friend asked, looking her way.

"Yeah, but still a little achy. She don't say much, but her right hip's been hurtin'...did that happen with Grace when she was carryin' Anthony or April?" Sully asked, glancing at his friend.

"Can't recall...but you know what they say...every woman and every pregnancy is different."

"Yeah...true."

"What's the doc say..._hers_ I mean," he added with a grin. "Her bein' a doc herself...what kind 'a _patient_ is she?" their astute friend queried.

Sully chuckled, pursing his lips for a moment as he thought about it. "She's pretty good, I guess. We've got a real good doc...kinda like a father figure to her. She don't usually try to second-guess 'im."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah," Sully agreed as he watched his wife fussing over their daughters, pulling at and adjusting each girl's clothing as they bounced from one foot to the other. Sully chuckled and shook his head in loving affection.

"Man, the girls are so excited, and so nervous."

"Oh yeah, today's their big day, huh?" the family friend remembered, observing the nervous duo.

"Yep. They've done it so many times at home they could dance it in their sleep. I just hope they don't get too nervous and forget.

"Ahh, they'll be fine, Sully. Don't you worry," the burly mechanic encouraged with a grin.

They stepped aside and allowed a blond woman to move past them, a pretty little blond girl at her side.

Brian, horsing around with Anthony nearby, stopped and stared, transfixed, as the little girl walked by. She glanced over at him shyly, but quickly averted her eyes as she and her mother made their way closer to the front.

Sully glanced over and chuckled as he saw his son's starry-eyed expression.

Minutes later, the congregation mostly seated, the Reverend made his way to the front. Greeting everyone, he immediately prefaced, "Today, I am pleased to announce a very special presentation to begin our service. Hannah and Colleen Sully would like to perform a worship dance for you," he explained, glancing at them with an encouraging smile. "They've practiced long and hard, and I know you'll be blessed. Let's worship with them now," he finished as people in the congregation glanced at each other, wondering what a 'worship dance' entailed.

With that, he picked up the lightweight, clear Lucite podium and carried it over to the side of the small platform. The girls approached from their seat at the far end of the right front row, wearing black leggings covered by flowing knee length, light blue tops with long sleeves covered by loose fitting sheer wispy drapings that fluttered with each arm movement like angels' wings.

Michaela bit her lip, eying the fluttery tops critically, once again making sure of last-minute alterations, though it would be too late to do anything.

Sully leaned near and whispered, "They look great. Stop worryin'." She flashed him a grateful grin.

The Reverend moved to the church's PA system and started the girls' CD, then turned to take a seat out of the way.

(To hear the exact song they dance to, put this in the search bar in Youtube: /watch?v=xtmvwMJCQv4 The dance starts at :20. This is to give you an idea...but the moves I envisioned were a little different. If you can't find it, it's Here I am to Worship and the artist is Hillsong, and the dance is on pureloveje's channel).

Both girls quickly took their places in the open area, each taking deep calming breaths as the music began. Hannah glanced once at her father, who gave her an encouraging wink and she grinned, but quickly pressed her lips together to keep focus. Colleen met eyes with her mother, who smiled encouragingly and nodded. The young girl then closed her eyes and said a quick prayer for help with nervousness and remembering all the moves, trying to block out the sight of over one hundred pairs of eyes that would be watching their every step.

As the soothing music started, eyes closed, each girl purposely tried to picture standing before the actual throne of God and offering their worship just to Him.

As the lyrics began, they raised their arms in perfect sync, hands pointing upward, then stepping and bending, gracefully bringing their hands to their eyes and then to their hearts in time with the singer.

_Light of the world_

_You stepped down into darkness._

_Opened my eyes, let me see._

_Beauty that made this heart adore You_

_Hope of a life spent with You_

Just as the first time they watched the girls perform the dance, Michaela and Sully simultaneously reached to clasp hands and glanced at one another in proud amazement. The girls' movements were even more breathtakingly eloquent, now that they'd had months of practice, beautifully capturing the meaning and essence of the song. As they danced and moved side by side in perfect unison, the congregation, as one, sat perfectly still in breathless awe, none of them having seen anything like it before. Even the several small children in attendance sat enthralled.

Robert E. and Grace glanced at each other, Grace's eyes brimming with tears as they gently shook their heads as if to say, "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"

Loren, seated with Dorothy, reached over and squeezed her hand, his heart overflowing with pride in his granddaughters. As he watched, his lower lip began to quiver and he clamped down on it, trying to hold his emotions in check.

"So beautiful," Dorothy whispered as she reached in her purse for a tissue, dabbing at the corners of her eyes as she watched.

Jake and Teresa were just as touched, their eyes locked on the girls, as Teresa softly whispered the words to the song, translating it into her native Spanish.

The Reverend turned his head and smiled at the lovely blond near the front, and she returned his smile as she thought to herself how right he had been when he had told her of the wonderful people in his congregation. Sitting in the pew with her small daughter, Anna Marie realized she felt comfortable and 'at home' in the small sanctuary, as if she had found, for the first time in her life, where she truly belonged.

_Here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down,_

_Here I am to say that You're my God_

_You're altogether lovely_

_Altogether worthy,_

_Altogether wonderful to me_

Lost in the music, the girls mouthed the words with the singer as the next verse began, acting out the lines in a breathtaking interpretive dance, each move perfectly matched to the lyrics. Over the months, with help from their Cheyenne friend through the webcam, they had added more moves and perfected their stretches and bends into seamless poetry in motion. One by one, each person in the congregation became caught up and inspired.

This included the entire Miller family. Sitting in what had become their customary pew, the girls sat entranced as they watched their contemporaries up front, Jared felt almost sisterly pride, Ellen watched with tears flowing, and Harv – in spite of trying to keep himself 'together', tears had found their way to his eyes, as well, as he watched the Sully girls worship.

_King of all days_

_oh, so highly exalted_

_Glorious in heaven above_

_Humbly You came to the earth You created_

_All for love's sake became poor_

The song once again went into the chorus, and Michaela raised a tissue to her eyes, her heart so full of motherly pride, she could barely stand it. This, however, was combined with a profound feeling of worship and love that had begun to permeate the sanctuary from the moment the girls made their first sweeping moves. Matthew and Ingrid sat side-by-side holding hands, Ingrid wiping a tear as Matthew watched his sisters proudly.

Then the song went into the 'bridge', and Sully could hold out no longer. As before, his eyes filled as he watched his beautiful daughters worshipping God with such grace and poise, and he unconsciously raised Michaela's hand to his chest, unable to take his eyes off the dance.

_I'll never know how much it cost_

_To see my sin upon that cross_

The chorus came again and then the girls were finished, ending on their knees as the music came to an end.

For a second, no one moved, each watcher still caught up in the spirit and lyrics of the beautiful song.

Then, almost simultaneously, the congregation erupted with shouts of "Praise the Lord!" "Amen!" "Hallelujah!" as the girls slowly rose up, leaning into each other's arms for a moment, before standing and quickly making their way to join the family.

After a few moments, the Reverend stood and carefully moved his podium back into place as the jubilations began to die down.

Standing and facing his congregation, he dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief and smiled at the two girls in gratitude.

"Thank you, Miss Hannah and Miss Colleen, for a wonderful presentation of worship. It couldn't have been more beautiful. Well done, indeed."

The girls grinned and leaned against their parents as Sully moved an arm around Colleen and squeezed her to him, Michaela doing the same with Hannah.

Laying his Bible on the podium, the Reverend allowed his eyes to sweep the familiar faces of his congregation before clearing his throat and beginning.

"Today, I want to talk about...children. How they grow up so fast...what a blessing they are...and how fragile life is," he added softly, glancing toward the two blond females near the front. The older one smiled in return, but the younger turned her head away uncomfortably.

The Reverend clamped his lips together for a brief moment and sighed, then returned his attention to the sea of faces that were trained upon him.

"I'm sure you all are aware of the huge pile up on I-25 the other night," he began. Murmurs of acknowledgement filtered through the crowd. "I want to take a moment and publically commend a member of our congregation, our own Dr. Mike, for her tireless efforts assisting the injured that night. Many lives were saved, I'm sure, because of her selflessness."

Sully flashed a proud smile her way, and she blushed under the limelight as the congregation began to applaud.

When all was quiet again, the minister continued, "But in spite of her efforts – in spite of all our efforts, one small soul was lost - a little girl only eight years old. Her name was Susan." He paused a moment, collecting himself, then cleared his throat and continued. "I tried to give her what comfort and assurance I could as the fire fighters worked to free her from the wreckage. She told me her teenage brother had been driving, and they had just found out her father would be returning from serving in the military. Her only concerns were for her mother and brother – never for herself."

Looking around at the beloved members of his congregation, heartfelt sympathy on each face, he continued, "My heart pains me to realize...that man...that father and husband who served two tours in Iraq, will come home to a house without his wife and son and little girl. He'll never see her grow up...graduate...fall in love and marry...have children of her own..." he paused, drawing in a shuddering breath.

"It drove home to me how precious life is and how we should cherish every moment we can with those we love." Pausing a moment, he pressed his lips together in thought. "There are many in this room that have faced similar heartbreaks, though perhaps not to that extent." Heads nodded in agreement around the room. Glancing again at the two blonds, he gave an encouraging smile as Anna wiped a tear and wrapped an arm around her daughter.

"Proverbs 27:1 tells us, _Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth._ Several of us here can attest to the truth of that verse. Loren and Dorothy, Horace and Myra, Jake and Teresa...myself and a friend...each of us had been enjoying our evening and had no clue what was about to occur."

Robert E. and Grace glanced at each other with unspoken understanding as they each reached for a child. Robert E. wrapped an arm around his daughter, April, and she snuggled against him, the burly mechanic blinking against the tears welling in his eyes as he imagined something tragic taking her away from them. Grace closed her eyes as she hugged her small son close to her side, the thought of losing him in such a way not something she even wanted to contemplate.

Horace glanced at his beautiful girlfriend, immensely grateful he had stopped to get fuel before taking her home - they had come upon the massive wreck after the fact and had tried to help the injured. Myra looked up at him, her eyes sad for the little girl, her teeth unconsciously worrying her bottom lip.

Jake and Teresa simultaneously reached for one another's hands, Jake placing them, entwined, protectively over their unborn child resting warmly in its mother's tummy. Each thought about the head wound Jake had suffered in the crash, mere minutes after enjoying a nice meal together, and so very grateful it had not been more serious or even fatal.

Michaela's eyes began to fill as the Reverend's words struck a chord within her heart, instantly picturing the scene from days previous when she and Sully had watched the children happily playing on the floor with Wolf and Keeso. She thought about how quickly a bright sunny day months before had turned almost tragic when Matthew had been shot with deadly nails, and further back to the day of the bus crash when they had almost lost Colleen...not to mention that day at the airport and her own brush with death. Things happen so quickly...the thought of losing any one of her children made her heart feel as if it would break in two.

Sully also sat remembering...images of the intense fear in Colleen's and Brian's eyes and their panicked screams when the hail started... images of himself running with Hannah clutched in his arms, her head bleeding profusely...of Matthew screaming in pain, huge nails protruding from his leg...of his precious wife bleeding on the floor of an airport terminal. It was too much. He closed his eyes and shuddered, unconsciously shaking his head as he tried to rid his mind of the disturbing thoughts.

As the Reverend talked, sharing Scripture, admonishing and encouraging his small flock, there were very few dry eyes in the sanctuary. Moved by that and the tragic death of a little girl none of them had known personally, each person vowed silently to take heed and purposely remember to cherish every moment with the people they loved.

OOOOOOOO

As the congregation slowly filed out of the church, the Sullys lagged behind, Michaela still seated and carrying on an animated conversation with Teresa concerning the joys of food cravings, namely dill pickles vs. tacos. After listening to a few minutes of that, Matthew and Ingrid slipped outside and around the corner of the building to indulge in several private kisses, while Hannah and Colleen chatted near the back of the church with the Miller girls, who were suitably impressed and gushing over the Sully girls' dancing prowess.

His friend Anthony having already left with his family, Brian hovered near his father as he waited for his parents, surreptitiously glancing every few moments at the pretty little blond girl he had seen walk in before church started. She was standing next to her mother just inside the door, apparently waiting until the Reverend was finished shaking hands with the people as they left the building.

Sully, carrying on a casual conversation with Jake, glanced down at his son and happened to catch the boy gazing at the little girl as he had earlier, prompting an amused and knowing smile from the father.

Bending over, Sully tapped his son on the shoulder, causing Brian to swing his head around immediately, eyes wide.

"Why don't you go on over there and introduce yourself to her?" Sully asked, watching amusedly as his son turned three shades of red.

"I...I can't do that!" he stammered, determinedly placing his back to her and crossing his arms decidedly over his chest just as she glanced his way and smiled.

Jake snickered at the boy's discomfit, advising nonchalantly, "Come on, Brian. Be a man. Walk right up to her and tell her you think she's pretty. After all...he who hesitates is lost."

Brian, his eyes wide with embarrassed fear, looked from his father's carefully neutral face to Mr. Slicker's smirking expression and bolted, running past the girl and her mother and out the door, as Michaela's voice concernedly yelling, "Brian!" filtered out to his ears. He ran down the steps, and all the way to the Escalade, clawing the door open and climbing inside to hide away from prying eyes.

Sully stood up straight and eyed his friend. "Did ya _have_ to do that?"

"What? I was just givin' the little fella some friendly advice," the other man snickered, as Sully shook his head derisively, but yet trying not to let a smile slip through as it had, indeed, been funny to watch Brian's reaction.

Finally Michaela rose carefully from the pew, favoring her right hip that had developed a habit of 'catching' and causing her sharp pains – especially since she had spent nearly a full night walking around in the cold wet snow several nights before.

"Ready sweetheart?" Sully asked lovingly, watching her face for signs of pain as he reached a hand out to assist her.

"Yes," she murmured softly, one hand taking his, the other unconsciously caressing her growing baby mound.

Bidding their friends a good day, Sully held his wife's coat up for her to slip into.

"Have a blessed day Dr. Mike...Sully," Teresa added as she allowed her husband to take her elbow and escort her out.

As Michaela and Sully strolled slowly toward the double doors of the sanctuary, Reverend Johnson stepped back inside after bidding Teresa and Jake goodbye.

"Sully, Dr. Mike...I would like to introduce someone to you..." he began, moving familiarly to the side of the lovely blond woman.

"This is Anna Sheehan and her daughter, Sarah. Anna...this is Dr. Mike and Sully that I told you about..."

The three exchanged customary greetings, and reached to shake hands.

"You're the parents of the girls that danced...I've heard so much about you both...especially after what happened on I-25 the other night," Anna remarked with a friendly smile.

Michaela and Sully were both a little surprised and confused, not quite understanding the woman's connection to the Reverend.

The minister, recognizing their confusion, explained with a silly grin, "Sully...Michaela...Anna and I met _online_ seven weeks ago." Then turning to her, their eyes meeting and instant heartfelt smiles radiating from them both, he turned back to his two surprised and pleased friends, adding, "And I have _you two _to thank for this."

"Us?" they asked simultaneously, even more confused.

"Yes!" the Reverend immediately returned, a large smile gracing his face. "At your home on Thanksgiving, you told me, Sully, that there was someone out there for me...and Michaela...you encouraged me to pray for ideas about where to meet someone, don't you remember? Well, I did...and felt impressed to try out eHarmony**."

"As a coincidence, the same day _he_ registered, my sister talked _me_ into doing the same," Anna interjected. "So I did, having no faith whatsoever that I would find anyone even a tenth as wonderful as Timothy," she finished with a chuckle as her new beau reached to lovingly take her hand.

"This is absolutely wonderful!" Michaela exclaimed with a happy smile. Then switching her eyes to the little girl at Anna's side, she bent over slightly, murmuring, "And how are _you,_ Sarah...I'm Dr. Mike."

The little girl stared back at her for a moment, but glanced up at her mother when she felt a nudge. "Fine, thank you," she finally responded.

The Reverend chuckled, albeit a trifle awkwardly. "I imagine Sarah doesn't know exactly what to think, yet...so many new people...new faces. She and I have only had a few minutes to try and get to know one another so far..."

"Oh, she'll come around...she's just a trifle shy of people she doesn't know," her mother offered, running a loving hand over her daughter's blond hair.

Striving to alleviate the ensuing uncomfortable pause, Sully offered, "Well, what would you guys say to comin' over to the house for lunch? We were gonna have Cheyenne Fry Bread Tacos..." he added, wiggling his eyebrows with a grin.

"Cheyenne Fry Bread Tacos?" Anna queried, glancing at the Reverend.

"They are tacos made with chicken and seasoned with several special herbs, served on Indian Fry Bread...our Cheyenne friends taught us the recipe." Michaela explained.

"Michaela's really gotten the hang of makin' 'em," her proud husband added.

"_With_ Hannah's help, and I'm still working on mastering the art of having the Fry Bread come out right – not too thin, or not too thick, or chewy," she countered with a self-deprecating chuckle.

"You might have to be born Cheyenne for that," Sully laughed, placing an arm around his beautiful wife and drawing her to his side as she leaned against him and smiled up into his face lovingly.

Anna watched the two exchange loving banter, noticing especially how they radiated total and complete happiness and love by just being in each other's presence. Glancing again at Timothy's face and watching as he laughed along with them in agreement, she smiled happily, truly allowing herself to believe that perhaps she _had_ found a second chance at happiness with a man. That perhaps she and her daughter would find the place where they now belonged...

Sarah, however, folded her arms over her chest, glancing several times at the Reverend, her expression not quite matching the happiness in her mother's countenance.

"Well, I for one thoroughly enjoy Cheyenne tacos. What do you think, Anna? Would you like to try them?" Tim asked his new love, a hopeful, little boy expression in his eyes.

Meeting his gaze, Anna smiled and nodded, murmuring, "I'm willing." Then glancing down at her daughter pressed against her side, she added, "What about _you_, sweetheart?"

The lovely little girl merely shrugged disinterestedly.

Anna glanced at the others somewhat apologetically, prompting the Reverend to clap his hands together gently with an awkward, "Well, I guess you have three guests for lunch, then."

OOOOOOOOO

"I'll get it," Sully called, quickly moving to the door and allowing their lunch guests to enter. "Come on in out of the cold," he encouraged as they quickly slipped through the door into the inviting warmth of the Sully homestead.

"Here, I only bought two, I hope it's enough," the Reverend offered, handing Sully two 2-liters of Pepsi.

"Oh yeah, that'll be plenty, thanks," Sully responded, taking the proffered bag from the minister.

"My, you have a lovely home," Anna complimented, gazing around the downstairs interior of the homestead as she, her daughter, and Tim stood removing their winter jackets and handing them to their host.

"Thank you, we are very blessed to have it...it was built in 1870 by Sully's ancestor, who coincidentally was also named Byron Sully," Michaela greeted cheerfully, stepping from the kitchen as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel. The Reverend grinned at her 'shopkeeper' apron, adorned with the words "Ssshh...a bun is in the oven," with a large arrow pointing downward toward her nicely protruding belly.

"Mmm," Anna nodded, continuing to gaze around at the sturdy and wonderful workmanship of the walls, ceiling, and especially the gaily-burning fireplaces. "There are many period homes where I come from in Savannah...but now so much time has passed, the original family usually no longer owns them..."

"Yes, I'm afraid it is like that in Boston, also," Michaela replied, thinking of several on the street where she grew up.

"Boston? Is that where you're from originally?" Anna asked interestedly.

"Yes...actually I've only been here a little over a year and a half," Michaela replied with her customary half grin.

"Really? What brought you all the way to Colorado from Boston? My goodness...that's nearly clear across the country. Did you meet online?" Anna added with a twinkle.

Michaela chuckled and shook her head, reaching for her husband's hand and drawing him near. "No actually, we...the children and I, needed to... make a change in our lives. I saw an advertisement in the Boston Globe for a small-town doctor in Colorado..."

Sully drew his wife's hand to his lips for an affectionate kiss and interjected, "In the clinic – that little house at the head of our driveway."

"...And I made the momentous decision to take the position. It was the best decision I've ever made," Michaela murmured softly, her eyes briefly meeting her husband's sparkling blue ones as he nodded.

"And actually...we were destined to meet – God brought us together...a direct answer to prayer," Michaela added, gazing up into the eyes of her adoring husband. "We fell in love at first sight."

"Yep," Sully admitted without hesitation, leaning over to brush her lips with his. "One look in her eyes and I was hooked - lock, stock, and barrel," he added, the words punctuated by tiny kisses.

The other two adults in the room watched for a moment as their hosts gazed rapturously into each other's eyes before remembering they had an audience and pulling back from one another a little, chuckling.

"That's wonderful," Anna murmured softly as Reverend turned his head to gaze at her profile.

"_We_ hit it off right away..." the minister murmured. "From our first emails to when we met at the mall downtown..."

Anna smiled at the memory. "When we talked so long sitting on that bench that the security guard had to ask us to leave so they could lock the doors," she supplied, grinning at him fondly as he chuckled in agreement.

The two stood for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes as their brief friendship replayed in their minds. Michaela and Sully glanced at each other and grinned.

"Mama, I'm hungry," a young voice suddenly interrupted, shattering the moment, as Sarah yanked on her mother's sleeve, effectively snapping the adults back into the present.

"Oh my goodness, she's totally right – I need to see about starting lunch," Michaela reacted, smiling at the pretty little girl and then walking to base of the stairs.

"Hannah, sweetheart!" she called.

"Yes, mama?" the young girl returned immediately.

"Have you finished changing your clothes?"

"Yeah, I'll be right down!"

Turning back to their guests, Michaela chuckled and explained, "Hannah is a wonderful cook, especially when it comes to Snowbird's Cheyenne recipes. I'm still working on perfecting my technique."

"But you're gettin' better every time," Sully countered with a grin.

"Yes...if you don't count a certain German Chocolate Cake," his wife added as the two exchanged amused and loving glances.

"Snowbird?" Anna asked.

"Oh yes, she is our dear friend," Michaela explained, "...the wife of Sully's best friend and honorary brother, Cloud Dancing. They are Cheyenne...and they live on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana."

"Snowbird...what a lovely name," Anna smiled warmly.

"Yes, and it fits her wonderfully," Michaela commented. "This was taken when they were here at Thanksgiving," she added, reaching to take from the refrigerator door a small, framed picture of the four best friends posing together, and handing it to their visitor. "She's very gentle, wise, soft-spoken..."

Sully chuckled softly, "Just don't get her riled."

"Oh you," Michaela teased, gently pushing against his chest as he chuckled again.

"And this is Cloud..." Anna prompted, gazing at the picture.

"Cloud Dancin'," Sully supplied helpfully.

"What an unusual name...and my, his hair is so long," she commented, though with no malice intended, she had just never known any Native Americans personally.

"Yeah. But he usually wears it tied back," Sully provided, moving to allow his honey haired daughter through as she bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"This, by the way, is our daughter, Hannah," Sully introduced. "Hannah, this is Mrs. Sheehan and her daughter, Sarah."

Hannah politely exchanged greetings with the two, her eyes sparkling with friendliness. Anna couldn't help but recognize the similarities between father and daughter.

"They look like very nice people, indeed," Anna complimented as she handed the picture back to Michaela.

The Reverend chimed in, "Yes, they surely are. I've known both of them for a good many years. And Snowbird is expecting now, right?"

"Yep," Hannah supplied before either of her parents could answer.

Michaela smiled, drawing her daughter affectionately to her side. "Yes, and they're so excited. She's due within a week of us."

"When _is _your baby due, Mrs. Sully?" Anna asked politely.

"Oh, please call me Michaela, and our little one is due to make an appearance by the seventeenth of May," she added, lovingly caressing the round mound of her belly, her proud husband reaching to add his hand over hers with a grin.

"Please, make yourselves at home, all of you. Lunch will be ready in about thirty minutes," invited the glowing lady of the house.

OOOOOOOOO

"You've come a long way on it, Sully," the Reverend complimented as he, Sully, Anna, and Sarah, stood inside the partially finished bedroom.

"Yeah, but there's still so much left to do," Sully responded, pointing out several areas he intended on finishing next.

"You're building this yourself?" Anna asked, suitably impressed.

"Yeah...with help from friends, and our son, Matthew."

"Did Matthew's leg heal all right after the accident?" the Reverend asked concernedly, remembering the horrific incident.

"It still gives him some trouble if he's on it all day, but Michaela says that'll eventually work its way out," Sully replied, cringing a little as the terrible memories of that day resurfaced in his heart and mind.

"May I ask what happened?" Anna asked politely, noticing the suddenly serious looks on both men's faces.

Glancing at his friend, Sully replied softly, "Back in the fall when we were just puttin' up the studs for the walls and the roof...there was an accident with an automatic nailer...my boy, Matthew, ended up with three nails in his leg and one in his foot."

"Good heavens! He could have been killed!" she automatically reacted, remembering a friend back in Georgia who had died when he had accidentally fired two nails into his own heart.

Sully nodded, not wishing to even comment on the correctness of that statement, or that Brian was to blame. Reverend Johnson wisely read Sully's expression and chose not to mention Brian's involvement, either.

Changing the subject, he brought the conversation back around to the room and asked questions on Sully's choices regarding the materials and design, very interested in how Sully was planning on making the walls resemble those of the original bedrooms upstairs.

"Have you decided whose room it's going to be?" he asked with a grin.

Sully laughed and shook his head. "Nope. All depends on what the baby is."

At Anna's confused expression, he elaborated, "If the baby's a boy, he'll share the room across from ours with Brian, and Matthew'll get this room all to himself...but if it's a girl...then the girls will move down here together."

"So you don't know what the baby is yet?" the Reverend asked, wondering.

"Nope...we want it to be a surprise, like it was in the old days," Sully answered with a dimpled grin.

Some time later, as Michaela and the girls finished placing the food on the table, she called everyone to the dining room. Matthew and Brian came down the steps, the older boy with the ever present cell phone stuck to his ear as he and Ingrid continued a discussion about her mother insisting the girl be home to spend time with her father.

"Matthew," Michaela fussed softly. "No cell phone conversations during meals..." she reminded him and he nodded, quickly ending the call.

"Boys, these are friends of the Reverend's," Sully made the introductions. "Mrs. Sheehan and her daughter Sarah. Ladies, these are our sons, Matthew...and Brian," he added. Matthew stuck out his hand to greet the lady and smiled warmly at the little girl, while Brian held back rather shyly, managing to smile at the woman, but utterly tongue-tied toward the girl.

As everyone sat down to eat, Anna surveyed the array of food, the tasty looking platter of golden 'Fry Bread', bowls of Taco meat sauce, chopped lettuce and tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and more. It all smelled delicious.

"My goodness, Michaela – how did you three complete this spread in so short a time?" she asked, watching Colleen smile brightly as Michaela drew her to her side in a warm hug.

"Well, it really helps to prepare the meat in advance, and just heat it up before serving. We also prepared the dough for the fry bread this morning before we went to church," she added with a smile.

"I like fry bread with cinnamon and sugar and honey!" Brian interjected, immediately blushing when the pretty little blond turned her eyes to him.

Sully chuckled and shook his head, reaching to ruffle his youngest son's hair. "Me, too, Brian. Me, too. But you know the rules – real food first, _then_ dessert."

Everyone settled in their seats, with Sully and Michaela at the ends, Brian and Sarah ending up side by side. Sully asked the Reverend if he would like to say the blessing.

As everyone reached to take hands, the two youngest shyly reached for each other's hands with embarrassed smiles, in truth, neither one hearing a thing the Reverend said in the prayer.

OOOOOOOOO

"Would you like another taco, Anna?" Michaela offered, indicating the remaining piece of fry bread on the platter.

"Oh no, thank you, Michaela. I feel as if I would bust, I ate so much. I made a pig of myself!" she added with a self-deprecating laugh.

"It _was_ good, wasn't it?" the Reverend commented, leaning back to rub his own stomach, adding with a grin, "See, didn't I tell you they were delicious?"

"I've never had tacos with such flavor. Would your friend mind you giving me the recipe?" Anna asked, smiling shyly at their hosts.

Glancing quickly at her husband and receiving a fond wink in return, Michaela responded with a smile, "I don't think she'd mind a bit."

"Mama...can you put cinnamon, sugar, and honey on the last one?" Brian shyly asked, glancing toward the little girl next to him as he saw her perk up with interest.

Sully grinned down the table at his wife. "I'll do it, Brian. Anybody else want a piece of that?" he asked, nodding and heading to the kitchen as several voices said, "I do!"

Several minutes later, as the last piece of fry bread, made into desert and cut into small slices, was greedily gobbled up, Anna declared, "Well, now, you three prepared this lovely meal, I insist that you allow Sarah and I to help clean up."

Glancing at the three girls, Michaela murmured, "Oh, I think the two of us could handle the job...if perhaps the girls would like to show Sarah around?"

"Hey yeah!" Hannah immediately responded, glad she and her sister were getting out of kitchen duty for once. "Sarah, want to go up to our room?"

The little girl smiled and nodded, thrilled that the two 'older' girls offered. The three scampered quickly up the stairs together.

OOOOOOOOO

"Wow, your room is awesome!" Sarah gushed as they entered the girls' bedroom. "I like Hannah Montana, too," she added with a smile.

The girls glanced at each other, eyebrows raised. "Well, um...we used to really like her...but we don't like her as much anymore..." Colleen began.

"Yeah, but we haven't found anybody to replace her yet...so we haven't taken the posters and stuff down..." Hannah added.

"I wish we had pictures of Moon Flower dancing," Colleen murmured, turning to high five her sister as Hannah agreed heartily.

"Who's _Moon Flower?_" the little girl asked, plopping down on the end of Colleen's bed and gazing at the two older girls in wide-eyed wonder. To her 8-year-old mind, they seemed almost like grown ups, and so talented and mature.

"Moon Flower is a friend...she's Cheyenne and she lives on the reservation in Montana. She's fourteen and an awesome dancer," Hannah supplied, feeling much the same awe and wonder toward the Cheyenne girl that Sarah was now feeling for them.

"We saw her dance in competition, and in their church on our vacation last year and...she was awesome," Colleen gushed as she remembered that day.

"So we asked our friend Snowbird who she was...and she agreed to start teaching us how to dance like her...and now she helps us on the webcam," Hannah finished.

"Golly...ya'll are so lucky," Sarah whispered, gazing around at their room, so filled with trinkets and pretty objects. It made her think of her room back in Georgia, and the fact that since she and her mother moved to her aunt's house in Manitou, they were sharing her spare bedroom. Getting up, she wandered over to their dresser and picked up one of the silver handled brushes.

"Our Grandma gave us those for Christmas this year," Colleen supplied softly, sensing a deep sadness within the younger girl.

"My Grandma died last year," the little girl said sadly, fingering the lovely handle.

The girls exchanged looks again. "I know how you feel..." Hannah said softly. "I didn't have a Grandma either until my Dad married Colleen's mom."

The little girl swung around, eyes wide. "You mean...you're not really _sisters?_"

"We are _now_," Colleen explained with a truly happy grin. "Her Dad adopted me and Matthew and Brian...and our Mom adopted _her_."

"Gosh... Sarah whispered, wondering how it felt to be adopted and have to change your name, pushing the thought away that it might happen to _her_ if her mother _married_ that Reverend guy.

Colleen smiled softly, recognizing the sadness in the younger girl's eyes. Walking over, she gently took the brush and began carefully pulling it through Sarah's long, shiny blond tresses.

"Sarah? Um...where's your Dad? Is he...back in Georgia?" she asked gently.

"He..." Sarah paused, blue eyes filling with tears as she met Colleen's in the mirror. "He died."

Just then all three girls heard a soft, sympathetic gasp and turned their heads, encountering the concerned face of Brian hovering at the open edge of their doorway.

"Brian! How long have you been standin' there spyin'?" Colleen fussed, taking a step toward her little brother. He took off like a shot, his footsteps loud on the wooden stairs as he hurried back down to the first floor.

OOOOOOOOOO

Michaela scraped a dish and loaded it into the dishwasher. "Your Sarah is lovely, Anna."

"Thank you. _Your_ girls are lovely...and so different..." she answered, hoping Michaela would take the hint and explain their parentage. Michaela didn't disappoint.

"Yes, in heart they are very much alike, but Hannah is Sully's daughter. I'm sure you noticed the resemblance."

"Yes, she's the spitting image of her father."

"Yes, she certainly is...in looks _and_ in temperament. Colleen, Matthew and Brian are mine."

"And now you're having your fourth!" Anna commented in compliment.

"Oh, no, this is my first baby," Michaela corrected, pausing to rub a loving hand over the outmost swell of her belly. "My best friend...Charlotte Cooper... while in the hospital after having Brian, asked me if I would take her children and raise them as my own." Pausing again, she thought back to those sad days when she lost her best friend and Colleen and Matthew lost the only home they'd ever known. At Anna's look, she added, "She contracted a staph infection from the c-section she had with Brian...and their father had died in a boating accident before Brian was born."

Anna nodded sympathetically. "So, you've cared for them ever since. Alone?" She added, picturing the scenario.

"No...and yes. Actually, I was married at the time. My ex husband, David, never wanted children. He categorically refused to have anything to do with them, so they were my sole responsibility. He...um...eventually left me for another woman."

"Oh...I'm so sorry, Michaela," Anna murmured, pausing in the act of scraping out a bowl.

Michaela shook her head, however. "Don't be. It was the best possible thing that could have ever happened – to me, _and_ to the children," she stated emphatically. "Because of what he did, I needed to get a job to support myself and the children, so I reinstated the medical career I had given up for _him_, and we found ourselves moving to Colorado – and finding the most wonderful man in the entire world," she added with a dreamy grin, as Anna smiled understandingly, thinking a similar thing had happened to _her_.

"Sully is absolutely everything I could ever want – in a husband, a father for my children, a best friend...a lover. He couldn't be more perfect," Michaela continued, having paused to watch him interacting with the Reverend and Matthew in the living room. "I love him so very much..." she murmured softly.

Just then, he felt her eyes on him and turned his head. Correctly reading her expression, he knew she was talking about him and grinned, winking and mouthing the words, "I love you, mé'oo'o." She grinned in return and blew him a kiss just as Brian came rushing down the stairs, flopping himself onto the couch beside Matthew.

Collecting herself again and blushing a tiny bit when she turned and found Anna's amused eyes on her, she cleared her throat and asked, "So...what about Sarah's father...if you don't mind my asking..."

"Not at all. Terry...my husband...Sarah's father...was killed two years ago in a large pile-up on the interstate in Georgia," she explained quietly.

Michaela gasped softly, switching her eyes to her new friend's as she realized how hard it must have been for her to hear all about the recent pile-up – even in church that morning.

Pausing in the act of picking up a dish, she continued, her face bearing a far away expression. "He was coming home from work...rush hour...a tractor-trailer blew a tire and jackknifed...fifty vehicles were involved before they could stop. Terry's car was right in the middle...he..." she paused, staring forward unseeingly as she remembered the details of the horrific accident and how his car had been hit multiple times and from different angles. "He suffered terribly I'm sure. Internal injuries...they had to cut him out of the car...one of the EMT's told me he begged them to hurry, he was in such pain. He died on the way to the hospital," she finished softly, taking a deep breath and shaking her head as she fought off the familiar tears.

"Anna...I'm so very sorry," Michaela murmured softly, reaching out a hand and taking one of her new friend's in hers.

Hearing the Reverend laugh out loud at something one of the other men said, the woman smiled softly and allowed her eyes to caress him across the space of the two rooms.

"I thought my life was over...Terry had been such a good husband and father...Sarah simply adored him, and he doted on her. We loved him very much." Turning to look into Michaela's eyes, she confessed, woman to woman, "I never thought I'd find another man I could love...but the first time Timothy and I met...I felt my heart reach out to him with no fear. It was as if we'd known one another our whole lives...and I found myself falling in love, for the second time in my life," she confessed softly, having quickly found a true friend and sympathetic ear in Michaela.

"That's wonderful, Anna. And Sarah...how does she feel?" Michaela astutely asked, having noticed the subtle looks the little girl shot the Reverend's way.

Anna sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "Not too well yet, I'm afraid. I know it's because she misses Terry and...she's even shown anger toward me this past week...as if I'm being disloyal to her father." Shaking her head, she murmured, "I told Timothy that if Sarah never warms up to him...I wouldn't be able to marry him. But that thought pains me greatly..."

"Oh, don't worry, Anna. I'm sure Sarah will come around in time," Michaela encouraged her new friend with a confident grin. "Timothy Johnson is a very likable man...warm, friendly, handsome...loving, generous, and kind hearted. She's bound to respond to him. Just give her time."

Relieved to hear encouragement on the subject, Anna smiled and sighed some of the tension away. Resuming the clean up, each woman smiled as they heard the men they loved laughing together in the next room.

"Yes. I'm sure you're right," Anna murmured softly.

Michaela nodded, thinking to herself how truly blessed she and Sully were that the children had melded together so well and so quickly. That they had each accepted one another's children as their own and how each of the children had settled so comfortably into their new life.

Glancing at her new friend, Michaela said a quick prayer that she and her daughter would be similarly blessed in the very near future.

...

**eHarmony has a Christian part also.


	20. Trouble in Sully's Junction

**CHAPTER 20 – Trouble in Sully's Junction**

"Colleen, please, I have to talk to you," Hannah begged her sister as they settled down together on the bus.

"Well, I don't want to talk to _you_."

"Don't be mad...let me explain..."

"Why don't you go sit someplace else," Colleen immediately retorted.

"I said I was _sorry_, Colleen. What more do you want?"

"I want you to leave me alone. Forget that we're 'sisters'," Colleen fired back with uncharacteristic viciousness.

"Well dang, maybe I will!" her sister returned, huffing impatiently and grabbing her backpack. "Think I'll sit with Becky."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Sneering at each other spitefully, the girls turned away from one another as Hannah jumped up and stepped over to her friend Becky's seat.

"Mind if I sit with ya?" she asked, casting a brooding glance at her sister, who kept her face turned resolutely toward the window.

"Have a seat," Becky replied, scooting her things out of Hannah's way. Hannah sat down and uncaringly dropped her backpack to the floor at her feet as she shrugged out of her jacket.

"What's wrong with your sister?" Becky asked, having overheard the sibling's tiff.

Hannah shrugged moodily, hurt by Colleen's rejection, but not wanting to trash her sister. "She's mad at me."

"Bet I know why," Becky murmured knowingly, turning to peek at the object of their conversation.

"Yeah? Why?" Hannah asked the other girl guardedly, casting her a sideways glance.

"I bet it's about that new boy, Richard," she answered, pointing with her chin toward the boy, sitting up toward the front of the bus.

"Why do you say that?" Hannah hedged, knowing Becky had a tendency to spread gossip and wanting to avoid causing her sister to be the subject of it.

"I think she likes him."

"So?" she hedged again.

"Well...I seen her watching him lots of times in class..." Becky insisted, a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes. "And I seen _him_ watching _you_."

"It ain't like that...we're just friends," Hannah insisted, staring at the back of the boy's head as he chatted with his seatmate.

"Well, okay...but don't say I didn't tell ya."

Hannah lapsed into silence, her mind replaying the events from earlier in the day...

"_There's Richard..." Colleen had whispered as they sat together at lunch, watching as the cute boy headed their way carrying his tray to a table with a few of his friends._

"_Hey, Hannah. Colleen," he greeted as he saw them watching him._

"_Hey, Richard. How's your mare's leg doing?" Hannah spoke up, but Colleen sat tongue-tied. _

"_She was better this morning. Dad said it looks like she's gonna be alright," he answered, pausing by their table. Colleen gazed up at the boy, totally smitten as she stared starry-eyed at his handsome features of dark hair and intelligent brown eyes._

"_That's good. Our mare, Mandy, had an infection like that once, but she's fine now," the girl returned, taking a sip from her milk carton._

"_How long did it take for it to heal?" he asked interestedly, impressed with the pretty girl's knowledge of horses. He let his eyes roam over her beautiful, long honey-brown hair and stared into her vivid blue eyes as she pursed her lips, trying to remember._

"_Um...about two weeks, I think." Then grinning, she added, "Dad had to spend a couple' nights out in the barn takin' care of her."_

"_Yeah...my dad slept out there last night..." he returned. Just then, his friends called to him from their table, and he cleared his throat. "Talk to ya later," he mumbled, moving on across the room._

_When he was out of earshot, Colleen leaned close to her sister, staring straight into her eyes. "You like him, don't ya?"_

"_Sure."_

"_I mean...you LIKE him..." Colleen persisted, the expression in her brown eyes lending explanation to her meaning._

_Hannah had just taken a bite of her pizza and nearly choked, gasping, "No, I don't like him THAT way. His family has horses like we do, you know that, and we've been talking about that."_

_Colleen turned her head, swiping a strand of blond hair from her face, and gazed at him across the room, unconsciously smiling as she watched him laugh at something one of his friends said. Just then, he looked across at the two girls. Colleen immediately whipped her head back around._

"_Colleen! You like him!" Hannah gasped, grinning and covering her mouth._

"_Sshh! Promise you won't tell a soul!"_

_Hannah nodded, still grinning, realizing she had never seen her sister go gaga over a boy before. _

"_I...I have dreams about him," Colleen confessed softly, grinning hugely. "When I see him...I get all nervous and jumpy, and I forget how to talk. But when we're in class...he keeps watchin' me. I look up, and he's starin' right at me."_

_Hannah's mouth dropped open at this revelation. "Really? Gosh! Have you talked to him?"_

"_No...every time he gets near, I can't think of anything to say," Colleen admitted in frustration, taking a large bite of her pizza._

"_Well, you gotta talk to him...you've had brothers all your life, you know how to talk to boys..."_

"_Well, not about that kind of stuff! But...maybe you could for me..."_

"_Me?" Hannah gaped at her sister as if she'd asked her to jump off the roof._

"_Yeah, you're already talking to him...just...try to find out what he thinks of me," Colleen asked, eyes pleading._

_Hannah, eyes large, murmured with a shrug, "How'm I gonna do that?"_

"_Just kinda drop it in." At Hannah's hesitation, she added, "Please? I'd do anything for you if you asked, you know that..."_

_Biting her lip, a feeling of 'this ain't a good idea' rising within, she huffed a sigh at her eagerly begging sister. "All right...I'll try..."_

_Colleen grinned and leaned to give her sister a hug. "Thanks, Hannah! You're the best sister ever."_

Remembering those words, uttered so recently, Hannah turned in her seat to look at her sister, who was still steadfastly staring out the window at the passing landscape, and grimaced as she thought about what had happened next. As they had walked back to class, Richard had sidled up to her to ask a question about their math homework and she had casually told him that there was someone who liked him.

He had responded with, _"Really? I think I know who...and I like her too. Think she would meet me under the slide at recess?"_

"_Um, I don't know..." she had hesitated, knowing everyone called the huge wooden structure the 'sweethearts slide'. _

"_If she really likes me, she will," he prompted insistently._

"_I'll tell her," she had replied with a shrug. _

But at the first chance she had to whisper this to Colleen after they had returned to class, she noticed her sister not looking too well. Hannah closed her eyes as she remembered asking Mrs. Swigert if she could help her sister to the bathroom, where they found out that Colleen had suddenly and unexpectedly joined the world of womanhood. Hannah pressed her lips together as she thought about their camaraderie during those moments and Colleen begging her to meet Richard under the slide and make some excuse. Oh, how she wished she hadn't! Grimacing again, she remembered the scene...

_Sneaking off from the games in the gym, Hannah had ducked under the massive wooden slide structure to wait, the boys having their recess on the other side of the playground. She had hugged her arms across her chest and shivered, regretting her decision to not wear her jacket. _

_Suddenly, he had appeared and slipped inside, murmuring, "I hoped it was you..." but before she could explain, he had reached toward her, grabbed her arms, and awkwardly tried to haul her forward for a kiss! _

"_Don't!" she had squealed with shock, and broke away, slipping out of the enclosure to run back to the gym, but he had caught her arm._

"_Hey, I thought you liked me..." he had squawked, leaning to try and kiss her again, and that time she had let him touch his lips to hers. Movement caught her eye, and she gasped as she saw the shocked and angry face of her sister standing just outside the gym door. Colleen had disappeared inside just as Hannah broke away from the boy, and made a beeline back to the warmth and safety of the building._

The rest of the afternoon, she had tried to get Colleen aside and explain, but her sister had been livid with jealousy.

OOOOOOOOO

"So...what're you giving me for Valentine's Day?" Ingrid asked playfully, grinning when her blue-eyed boyfriend began to squirm and sputter.

"Eh, it's...it's a surprise," he managed, grinning sheepishly and hoping she couldn't tell that he had not yet decided.

Leaning over, he brushed her lips with his, glancing around to make sure they weren't being too closely observed, as their bus monitor had very strict rules about conduct.

"And what are _you_ givin' _me_?" he murmured playfully.

"Oh...a box of 'Noneya," she answered, giggling and squirming out of his reach as he began to tickle her.

"Oh, 'Noneya', huh? We'll see about that!"

"Matthew, stop! Stop, please!" she squealed with a gasp, laughing, striving to get in a few tickles in retaliation, but unable to penetrate his thick winter jacket as a pair of first graders in the seat in front of them turned and giggled at their antics. Finally, she managed to grasp both his hands and hold them tight. He grinned rakishly and easily escaped her hold, quickly wrapping his arms around her and trapping both of her hands against his chest, holding her at his mercy.

"Ha ha! Now what'cha gonna do?" he murmured, nose to nose as they gazed breathlessly into one another's eyes, each suddenly very aware of the other's close proximity. The students in the seat across the aisle from the pair giggled softly.

"Mr. _Sully_... Miss _Craig_," the monitor, Mrs. Stansberry, called in her aggravatingly stern voice. The sweethearts knew exactly what she meant and moved a little from one another on the seat, knowing they were in danger of being completely separated. The monitor smiled in satisfaction and turned her head. Every face on the bus, including Brian and Anthony, Ingrid's sisters, Matthew's sisters, and Jared and his sisters, all turned and stared at them, the younger ones giggling and snorting that the 'older kids' got in trouble. Ingrid felt her face turn beet red.

"The old wind bag," Matthew muttered.

"Matthew, hush!" she whispered back, wishing to avoid any more trouble.

"What? I don't care if she hears me," he murmured, allowing what had been a thoroughly frustrating day of difficult classes to finally begin to get to him.

"Well, _I_ do. I don't wanna get in trouble, or worse, get suspended from the bus. My mom would hit the roof!" she returned in a harsh whisper.

"Ahh, that ain't gonna happen...and besides, she's lookin' the other way. C'mere," he whispered, his hormones getting the better of him as he couldn't seem to keep his hands off his beautiful girlfriend. Before she could stop him, Matthew had seized her again and proceeded to kiss her soundly. She brought her hands up to his shoulders with the intention of pushing him away, but to the amused onlookers, it looked quite the opposite.

"Miss Craig, come up to the front seat – _now_!" The monitor called firmly. Everyone on the bus had gone back to their normal chatter after the first reprimand, but now clamped their mouths shut, some with their hands over their mouths – as they watched the interesting action unfold.

Matthew mumbled something unintelligible under his breath as Ingrid, her face burning with humiliation, pushed her boyfriend away angrily, grabbed her coat and backpack, and made her way up front, feeling like she was running the gauntlet as she and Matthew had been sitting in the back. It was sheer torture to walk past each seat and try not to notice the amused and shocked faces staring back at her. She knew as soon as the bus stopped at her house, her sisters would fly to their mother and tattle the entire episode. Closing her eyes, she ground her teeth in aggravation.

Anger toward her boyfriend began to burn within. Why was _she_ in trouble and not _him?_

Plopping down in the seat across from the stern faced woman, Ingrid crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for her stop to arrive, smoldering with anger and humiliation.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela looked over from frying some ground beef as the kids filed in from school, three of the four sad-faced and quiet.

"My goodness, such long faces..." she murmured, glancing at her husband as he lounged against the counter next to the stove, sipping a cup of coffee. He shrugged in answer to her silent question.

Hannah flopped down on the couch in the living room as Colleen went on upstairs, neither saying a word of greeting to their parents.

At Michaela's raised eyebrow, Sully nodded, pushed himself away from the counter and put his cup down, strolling into the living room. Sitting down next to his daughter, he sensed something was 'out of sync' with her.

"Hey...you all right?" he murmured, reaching over to gently cup the back of her head, waiting. Finally, she turned and looked into his eyes, then reached for his hand and held it tight, just wordlessly returning his gaze.

Suddenly, he remembered their conversation in the Escalade, on the trip home from Boston so long ago, when they had agreed on their secret signal. He had told his precious daughter that if she ever needed one on one 'father' time with him, all she had to do was take hold of his hand and he would know. Until this moment, she had never exercised that special privilege.

Giving her a conspiratorial wink, he stood, pulling her up with him as he called to his wife, "Be back in a few minutes...we're gonna take a walk."

Michaela had been watching the pair from her vantage point in the kitchen and instinctively knew. She nodded and smiled.

Pulling his headstrong yet sensitive daughter behind him, he reached for his buckskin jacket, ushering her out the door ahead as he slipped his arms in the sleeves.

"Whew, it's cold out here...c'mere," he murmured, opening the Escalade's passenger door. She scooted in quickly, and he sprinted around to the driver's side. Inserting the key in the ignition, he started the motor and soon had the interior heating up comfortably.

Rubbing his hands together, Sully turned toward his little girl, noticing the more mature line of her profile as she gazed thoughtfully out the windshield.

"What's up, sweet girl?"

Now that she had her father to herself, Hannah suddenly felt shy about the reason for her upset. Glancing at him, she shrugged and clamped her lips.

"You don't know?" he teased softly, his eyes twinkling fondly.

Hannah chewed gently on her lip, trying to corral the words in her mind to even start to discuss the problem with her father. In all her years, and all of the heart-to-heart talks they had had, the subject had never been about _boys_. She wondered how he would react...and how much she should confide.

"I...Colleen's mad at me," she finally answered.

He nodded and pursed his lips a bit. "Wanna tell me why?"

Suddenly, she dissolved in tears. "I always wanted a sister," she squeaked, "Somebody I could share a room with, go to school with, share secrets with..."

"And ya got that...she'll always be your sister," Sully soothed, reaching out a hand and caressing the back of her head, his heart contracting that his precious little girl was so upset.

She shook her head, wiping away tears with the back of one hand. "She hates me now. I betrayed her..."

"_Betrayed_ her? How?" he asked softly.

"Richard...she likes him..." she sniffled.

"The boy that moved with his family in to the old Whitlow place and started at your school?"

"Yeah, and now, after the sweetheart's slide, he likes _me_ instead..."

Sully wasn't sure what this 'sweetheart's slide' was, but he murmured comfortingly, "Honey, just talk to her, it's not your fault that he..."

"She won't talk to me!" she agonized, busting into tears again, confused by her feelings toward Richard and her guilt toward her sister. Suddenly, words poured forth. "She wanted me to find out if he liked her...but he wanted her to meet him under the slide...but she wasn't feelin' good...then before I could tell him..." she hesitated and shrugged miserably.

Sully drew her in his arms. "Aww sweet girl. Ssshhh," he murmured, pressing her tear moistened face against the soft, fragrant leather on the front of his jacket, and smoothing her hair, rocking her gently back and forth.

"Just keep tryin'. Make her know how important she is to you. And lemme tell ya, you're gonna have lots of boys interested in ya," he paused, swallowing at the thought of his little girl – girls – being pursued by teenage boys. Making himself continue, he murmured, "They'll come and they'll go. But you and Colleen are sisters, and you shouldn't destroy your relationship over a boy."

Nodding, Hannah sat up straighter and wiped her eyes, taking Sully's proffered bandanna as he continued, "Now, I don't know what happened exactly, but you go on up to your room with her and shut the door, tell her how you feel, even if you don't think she's listenin'. Okay?"

Sniffling, she nodded again and smiled a watery grin up at her handsome, caring father.

"I'll try. I love you, Daddy."

He smiled in return, his eyes sparkling with love for his precious offspring. Bringing a hand up, he cupped her cheek lovingly. "Love you, too, punkin'," he murmured, using the familiar nickname he had given her when she was tiny.

Biting her lip as a thought came to her, she searched his eyes for a moment. "Um...don't tell Mom about this, okay? I...I don't want her to be disappointed in me," she explained haltingly.

"Hannah, she wouldn't be..."

"Please? Promise?" the girl insisted, two pairs of vivid blue eyes delving deeply, correctly reading a myriad of thoughts and emotions – concern, love...apprehension, guilt. Sully knew he couldn't deny his daughter's request, not when it seemed to mean so much to her.

Pressing his lips together in resignation, he nodded assent, whispering, "Promise," prompting his honey-haired daughter to wrap her arms around him in a grateful hug with a whispered, "Thanks, Dad."

As they filed back in the front door a few moments later, Hannah turned to hug her father around his waist once more before heading determinedly up the stairs – _on a mission_.

Once up to the door of the room she shared with Colleen, and finding it closed, she took a deep breath and opened it, immediately locating her sister sitting cross-legged on her bed, books and papers strewn on its surface.

Shutting the door behind her and walking slowly to her own bed, Hannah lowered herself down, swallowing nervously as she tried to gauge her sibling's mood.

"Colleen?"

"I don't wanna talk to you!" her sister interrupted, flashing angry, hurt eyes her way. Hannah's eyes widened in the face of Colleen's rage. "You're supposed to be my _sister_ – but you took the one boy I had feelin's for," Colleen ground out, turning her head and determinedly focusing on one of her notebooks.

"I'm _sorry_! But...it turned out...he had feelin's for _me_..." Hannah cried emotively.

Tears sprang to Colleen's eyes, and she clamped her teeth together, the emotional pain seeming too much to bear. Shaking her head miserably, she ground out, "Gosh, with a sister like you, who needs enemies?"

Hannah gasped at the vicious words, tears springing to her eyes. She jumped up from the bed, reaching out to touch her sister's arm, pleading for understanding, but she flinched away from her touch. "Colleen..."

"_Leave...me...alone_," her once loving sister replied icily.

"Not till you listen..." Hannah began, her mouth dropping open slightly when Colleen grabbed her ipod headphones and stuck them on her head, turning up the volume to be sure to drown out any spoken words her sister may utter.

With a sigh of defeat, Hannah turned and reached for her own backpack, dishearteningly beginning her own homework.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela smiled as she watched their daughter go, then turned to her husband, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

"That didn't take long..." she prompted, hoping he would offer to tell her the subject of discussion without her having to ask.

"Nope," he answered, smiling at her, lips shut, dimples prominent.

"Is everything all right?" Michaela asked softly, gazing up at him expectantly.

Remembering his promise, he answered nonchalantly, "Yep. I took care of it," as he took a seat at the kitchen table instead of returning to his place beside her at the stove.

Forcing a small smile, she managed, "Oh. Well, that's good," and then turned back to the stove to stir the pot of chili she was preparing and add some seasonings, commencing to tell him about a conversation she had had with her sister Rebecca that morning.

After several minutes, with Sully offering an occasional grunt in response, Michaela related a particularly funny piece of information and turned for his reaction, only to find him gazing rather intently at his cell phone.

"Sully...are you listening?"

He looked up then with what she thought was a trace of guilt in his expression, but he quickly masked it with a swift, "Huh? Oh yeah...yeah, that was real funny."

Aggravation and a little bit of hurt began to burn in Michaela's chest. This wasn't like her normally attentive husband. What was going on with him? She realized he had been acting different, progressively so, for several days. Gathering a breath to ask him point blank, she was interrupted by the sound of their two sons clomping down the homestead stairs. Rounding the corner, Brian asked loudly, "When's supper? I'm hungry!"

Sully stood up then and crossed to the stove, leaning to give his wife a kiss on the cheek. "I need to go check on somethin'. How long before supper?"

Michaela blinked at him, a little stunned at his evasiveness, but answered dutifully, "About twenty minutes."

"Okay. See ya in a bit."

She watched him go outside and shut the door behind him. Drawing in a large sigh, she shook her head, determined to just let the subject drop and not make a mountain out of a molehill. She was startled, however, to hear the engine of Sully's pickup roar to life.

Glancing at their two sons, who didn't seem to think this an odd occurrence, she turned back to the stove to continue with preparing the meal.

OOOOOOOOO

"Hey Matthew," the shopkeeper greeted the young man as he came through the door. The tiny bell overhead tinkled gaily, seeming in direct contrast to the young man's mood.

"Hey Mr. Bray," the youth returned, and then smiled his half grin at the look on the older man's face. "Grandpa Loren," he corrected.

The old man smiled at that, stepping down from the ladder from which he had been putting up stock. "What'cha need?" he prompted when he noticed his adopted grandson just standing by the counter, seemingly deep in thought.

"Oh, um...Mom sent me up here for some crackers and shredded cheese...she's makin' chili," he explained, making his way after the specified items.

Bringing them to the counter, his gaze went back to nothing again as he lapsed back into thought.

Loren rang up the purchases and placed them in a bag, picking up the money Matthew had laid on the counter. Making change, he turned again to the young man, tapping his hand to get his attention.

"You okay, Matthew?" the old man asked concernedly.

"Yeah, sure," Matthew answered mechanically, taking the money and slipping it into a pocket.

Something in his expression clued the old man in and his eyes narrowed perceptively. Clearing his throat, he asked offhandedly, "So...how's that cute blond you've been goin' around with? Ingrid...right?"

Matthew met his adopted grandfather's wise old eyes then and felt himself blush. Shrugging, he admitted softly, "I, uh...did somethin' stupid and...she's mad at me."

Loren tried not to grin, clamping his lips together and nodding sagely. "You stuck your hand in a hornet's nest that was hid, huh?" Then before Matthew could answer, he chuckled self-deprecatingly and shook his head, adding, "I've sure done that myself...too many times."

Matthew smiled his half grin, raking his hand back through his hair. "I don't know what to do..."

"Tell her you're sorry, son," the older man advised matter-of-factly.

"I tried, she won't talk to me," he answered miserably, thinking of the dozen texts and phone calls she had ignored since she departed from the bus amidst a hail of teasing remarks from some of the younger passengers.

"Well then, try harder."

The young man closed his eyes and huffed a frustrated sigh. "Man, if this is what it's gonna be like...being with a woman...I don't know if I'm fit for it."

The old man chuckled, reaching out to clap a hand on his grandson's shoulder, man to man. "Lemme tell ya somethin' son. Man ain't meant ta be alone all his life. The Bible even says so. Everyone has to have a partner, or you become outta balance. It's nature," he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Matthew chuckled then, turning his head a trifle shyly. "Yeah, well...Ingrid's a pretty strong force of nature," he returned, picturing how breathtakingly beautiful she was, especially when she was hopping mad and yelling at him. "But, how'm I gonna get her to talk to me?"

Loren pursed his lips, pondering the problem. "Well...what 'xactly did ya do ta make her so mad?"

Matthew really blushed then, and cleared his throat. "I, uh...I kissed her...on the bus," he paused, shrugging, "...and we got in trouble for it...well..._she_ got in trouble. The monitor made her go sit up front," he explained, uncomfortably.

Loren chuckled rakishly, thinking _like father, like son, _remembering several occasions when he had witnessed _Sully's_ amorous behavior embarrassing _Michaela_ during their courtship, but knowing better than to utter that thought out loud. Instead, he advised, "Well, son...Valentine's Day is comin' – my advice is get her a present – and make it a DANG good one."

"A present...but what?"

Shaking his head, Loren murmured, "Now _that_, son, is somethin' you're gonna have ta figure out yourself." Then seeing the almost hopeless look in his grandson's eyes, he added gently, "Just let your heart lead ya, boy. It'll tell ya all ya need ta know."

Matthew met his eyes, and Loren winked encouragingly.

With a sigh, the young man picked up his purchases and made his way out to the Escalade, hoping his grandpa was right.

OOOOOOOOOO

The next day the sky decided to produce cold rain and wind, a chillingly miserable combination, which happened to mirror Michaela's disposition.

Sully had come back the previous evening and had eaten supper with the family, but then made excuses and left again, not returning until after Michaela and the children had gone to bed. When she had questioned him about his whereabouts, he had hemmed and hawed, mumbling something about errands.

Now, staring at the sealed envelope she held in one hand, Michaela gripped the phone, striving valiantly to pay attention to what her sister was saying.

At a pause, Rebecca asked, "Michaela? Honey, are you all right?"

"What? Oh. Yes, yes, I'm fine," she murmured unconvincingly.

"You don't sound fine."

"It's nothing...really," Michaela assured, but her very astute sister knew better.

"'Chaela, what is it? Are you feeling all right? The baby? One of the kids?" Rebecca guessed, fishing for a reason for her normally upbeat sister's quietness.

Mulling over whether or not to even voice her feelings, Michaela drew in a breath, fingering the envelope again.

"I...I found an envelope, folded, in the back pocket of Sully's jeans when I was sorting the laundry...his name is written on the front...in an obviously feminine hand...the envelope..._perfumed_..."

"Oh..." Rebecca murmured, at a loss of what to say, as that was the last thing she had expected to hear. She bit her lip, her brow furrowed in concern, knowing Michaela had to be reliving a similar incident involving David – and that had turned out disastrous. It had been the beginning of her finding out about him having an affair with the unit secretary at the hospital.

"I mean...I'm sure there must be a dozen reasons for a lady to write my husband...I just... can't think of one," Michaela added softly, sniffing the offending envelope and trying to decide if the perfume seemed familiar.

"I'm sure there's an explanation," Rebecca encouraged cheerfully, though at that moment, she couldn't think of one either. After a few moments of silence, she suddenly blurted, "Open it!"

"I couldn't do that! It's sealed...with Sully's name on it," Michaela responded firmly, her strict code of ethics forbidding her to commit such an offense.

"Well...I'm sure it's nothing, Michaela," Rebecca soothed, glancing at her husband as he entered the room, eyebrows raised at hearing her statement. "If he were trying to hide it from you, surely he wouldn't have left it in the pocket of his jeans..."

Michaela drew in a deep breath, determined to give her husband the benefit of the doubt. "Yes, I'm sure you're right. Look, um...someone is beeping in...I'll talk to you later...all right?"

"Yes, of course..." Rebecca murmured softly as she heard her sister disconnect the call. She and Robert met each other's eyes, neither wanting to believe that their wonderful, attentive, loving brother-in-law could possibly be up to no good. It was too horrible to even contemplate that Michaela would be destined to suffer another unfaithful husband.

Making a quick decision, Michaela refolded the envelope and slipped it back into the pocket, placing the jeans in the bottom of Sully's hamper, determined to push the incident from her mind.

OOOOOOO

That night, after the children were in bed, Michaela made herself comfortable on the couch and tried to occupy her mind by watching television, an open medical journal leaning unread against her belly. An hour later, Sully came in.

Divesting himself of his warm outer clothing and washing his hands in the kitchen, he came into the living room and stood warming himself by the fire, glancing at his seemingly occupied wife, and wondering what she was thinking about so pensively.

Michaela glanced over, catching his eye, and he smiled at her as he moved to draw near the couch.

"Whatcha watchin'?" he asked, since the only thing playing at that moment were commercials.

"Nothing really," she shrugged, fingering the journal. "Just waiting for you," she added, cocking her head to one side and gazing up at him.

"Mmm," he murmured, lowering down next to her on the couch.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked softly, striving with every fiber of her being to NOT sound like a harping, nagging wife.

"Out...errands...stuff...you know," he hedged, clearing his throat.

Before she could stop herself, she blurted, "I found this in the back pocket of your jeans this morning. Who is it from?" producing the envelope from her sweater pocket, having retrieved it from the hamper hours before.

Turning to view his face, Michaela was sure she caught a shocked expression in his eyes before he masked it with an appropriately affronted look. He took the envelope from her hand, turning it and noting that it was unopened.

"What? You checkin' up on me now?" he asked, a little surprised.

"No...merely curious," she backpedaled, knocked totally off balance by his reaction.

"I have a right to a little bit of privacy, same as you. That's all you need to know," he responded softly, his eyes holding hers steadily. Those blue eyes she loved so much now guarded, his emotions hidden behind a cool blue wall.

Suddenly he stretched his arms above his head, yawning. Glancing at her, he announced calmly, "I'm real tired. Think I'll go on up to bed. You comin'?"

Oh how she wanted to light into him! Words zipped through her mind to fling at him, but...suddenly it felt as if a valve was turned and all the air escaped from the tire, leaving her feeling flat and defeated. If Sully were having an affair, she wouldn't be able to bear it. No, her mind reeled from that thought, and she felt physically sick...it would absolutely crush her. If anything happened to separate them – it would rip her soul in two.

She blinked, resurfacing from her thoughts as she realized he was waiting for a response. She swallowed dryly and wordlessly nodded, watching as he picked up the remote and switched off the television, and then went over and hunkered down to bank the fire for the night. When he returned to the couch, where she had not moved a muscle, he offered a hand to help her up, and she accepted, needing to use two to pull herself free from the soft confines of the couch.

When they were standing face to face, she expected him to...nay, ached for him to...take her in his arms, but he merely smiled tiredly and turned to make his way toward the stairs.

Michaela numbly followed her husband, staring at the back of his wavy, collar length hair, her mind a battlefield of imagined scenarios.

After preparations for bed and stoking the fire in the bedroom fireplace, the two retired, drawing the covers up warmly. Sully reached for her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss, yawning tiredly as he murmured, "G'night, sweetheart."

"Good night..." she answered back softly, feeling totally bereft that he wasn't snuggling against her and she still had no answers to her myriad of questions.

Before long, she heard his steady breathing as he slipped into a tired sleep.

OOOOOOOOO

He was gone from the house before she awoke.

So preoccupied were her thoughts, Michaela merely went through the motions of her day on Thursday, not really paying attention to the children or anything going on around her, or the fact that Hannah, Colleen _and_ Matthew were dealing with traumas of their own. The only bright spot in her day was the baby being particularly active. She stopped often to just lay a hand on her stomach and watch its movements... wishing Sully were there to share the wonder.

That night, she waited up for him until she became so sleepy, she just couldn't wait any more, and made her way slowly up the stairs.

_Has it really only been six weeks since Christmas?_ She mused. She thought back over their wonderful holiday in Boston, and how Sully had been so attentive, still so in love with her. Sighing, she remembered their magnificent lovemaking Christmas night, which had rivaled any they had experienced thus far in their marriage – including on their honeymoon...the night she told him he was the most romantic man in the world. She pictured him weeping in her arms at the thought of almost losing her in the shooting at the airport.

Now...he seemed so distant...and it had been ages since he had touched her intimately. He'd been staying away from home during the day, staying out late, or not even coming to bed at all, nearly every night that week – and every time she asked him about it, he made vague excuses.

Suffering in silence, but desperate for solace, though not wishing to blab her doubts and fears even to her closest friends or sister, Michaela turned to what had become a source of comfort and wisdom – _Michaela's_ journal.

Turning her bedside lamp on low, she padded across to Sully's bureau to retrieve the treasured volume, climbing into bed and making herself comfortable, and carefully turning pages, following dates, until she came to the first dates in February.

Scanning the pages, the only thing of significance in 1868 being Michaela's birthday and the sign with which the townspeople had gifted her, and of course, Sully's 'birthday gift' of their first kiss. Michaela moved forward in the volume, until she came to February of the next year, but no Valentine celebration happened then, either. On the contrary, it was during the time when _Michaela and Sully_ had suffered a terrible breakup regarding the 'white' Indian girl and were no longer even courting!

Sighing with fatigue, Michaela pushed on, _needing_ to read something that would shed some light on her own situation, which so often paralleled that of her ancestor.

As she scanned the following year in the journal, passing such happenings as the town suddenly being overrun with the KKK, followed closely by a teacher welcomed with open arms who turned out to be an abuser, then Michaela's abduction by renegade 'dog soldiers' and finally Sully's proposal, Michaela turned pages until February dates began again.

Wiping tired eyes and reading carefully, she found what she was looking for. Settling down in the bed in anticipation, the old journal nestled upon the shelf of her belly, Michaela eagerly read her ancestor's words:

_**February 2, 1870**_

_**It is with a heavy heart that I write tonight. Evidently I am still so new at this business of 'romance', I seem to be stumbling over my own feet and floundering miserably. Sully has seemed so frustrated at my inability and unwillingness to be 'spontaneous' with him, so I had decided I would just drop my guard and 'bite the bullet' as it were. I asked him several days ago to spend Valentine's Day alone with me - the whole day, no schedules, no patients, nothing – just he and I, that I wanted it to be special this year. I had planned a picnic lunch at a secluded waterfall. He seemed genuinely pleased with the idea, and we shared several very pleasant kisses, the kind that always makes my heart flutter with excitement...**_

_**Then today, he casually informed me that Cloud Dancing wants him to attend an Indian Affairs conference in Denver – to be held February 12-15. When I reminded him that Valentine's Day was the 14th, he rolled his eyes and said, 'The picnic...I'll just tell 'em I can't make it'. My heart lurched – he had forgotten! I pretended that it didn't bother me and told him, of course, he should go – but oh, how I was hoping he would stand firm and declare that nothing would take him away from me on our special day. However...at my magnanimous release, he merely shrugged and said, "Alright," and led his horse on into Robert E.'s. **_

_**My fiancé, who has always been so attentive and romantic, always looking for any excuse to spend time alone with me, will - on the most romantic day of the year - be miles from my side. I told myself it didn't matter. That February 14th is just a day like any other day...but that isn't true. Oh, how it isn't true! **_

Michaela leaned her head back against the headboard, deep in thought. What was it about Valentine's Day? Did Sully men have an aversion to the holiday? She thought back to the previous year – she and Sully had been engaged...and Sully had merely given her a box of candy and a card. At the time, she had appreciated both, and hadn't felt slighted in the least, since he had presented them to her with much aplomb and more than just a few kisses – plus, the next day, her birthday, he had given her such a wonderful party and his beautiful gift of her charm bracelet.

But...it was Valentine's once again...and she was now quite pregnant and not the slim, lithe fiancée she had been then. She thought of all the times he had teased her about becoming as big as the barn. Teasing was often based in fact...could it be that he no longer found her...sexually alluring? Well...truth be told, how _could_ she be? She was twenty-five weeks pregnant with his child, for Pete's sake! What did he expect?

_More to the point...what do __**I**__ expect?_ She pondered. _Perhaps I'm just spoiled. He's spoiled me with his constant attention and devotion – leaps and bounds more than the average husband. Now...I've come to expect it..._

Looking back at the volume in her hands and pushing away thoughts of the still mysterious letter she had found in his pocket, she forced herself to keep reading – hoping to gain insight into the habits and thoughts of Sully men. Skimming through details written by her ancestor about having to take her friend's place as director of the town's production of Romeo and Juliet, Michaela's eye caught Sully's name again.

_**In the midst of an exhausting day of rehearsals, Sully came by to bid me farewell before he left on his trip. I maintained a Boston 'stiff upper lip' the whole time, upsetting Brian, I'm afraid, who overheard our conversation. But deep down, my heart was screaming for Sully to decide, on his own, to forgo the conference and stay with me, to spend Valentine's Day...with me. However, my handsome fiancé merely murmured, "I'm sorry," swung himself up on his horse – without even giving me a kiss goodbye – and rode off without even one backward glance. So much for romance! Truly I do not understand...has his ardor for me...cooled?**_

Feeling decidedly worse after having read of her ancestor's disappointment, Michaela sighed heavily, stopped reading, and put the journal on her nightstand, dishearteningly turning off her lamp and beginning the now nightly dance of trying to find a comfortable position. It had become decidedly more difficult without the supportive body of her husband on which to lean, but it seemed Sully was once again remaining away.

Their bed was a lonely place without him.

OOOOOOOOO

The next morning dawned bright, clear, and brisk. Michaela awakened to the sun beaming in the window and into her eyes. Stretching, she turned her head, hoping to see her husband's beloved face asleep on his pillow, although when she had risen for the bathroom during the night he hadn't been there – but was quite disheartened to see merely the indention where his head had rested sometime during the night.

She sighed, wondering if she would even see him at all...on Valentine's Day.

Rolling awkwardly out of bed, Michaela made her way to the bathroom for her morning ablutions, and then dressing warmly, moved to the stairs to begin her descent. She could hear someone, presumably her husband, in the kitchen and could smell the aroma of breakfast cooking, a smile gracing her face at his thoughtful gesture.

Quietly, she descended the stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of him before he noticed her, stopping near the bottom as she overheard her husband's hushed voice, apparently talking on the phone with someone.

"Yeah. Right. Oh I know...same here. Who, my wife? Nah, she ain't got a clue...but if she finds out, I know how to handle her, no sweat," he stated confidently, then chuckled. "Ok. See ya later. Bye," he murmured, ending his conversation very pleased with himself, having no clue his wife had overheard the last part of the conversation.


	21. Thank Goodness for Valentines

**CHAPTER 21 – Thank Goodness for Valentines**

Valentine's Day had dawned bright, clear, and brisk, but to the inhabitants of Sully's Junction, it might as well have been raining.

Over the course of the week, things seemed to wax worse and worse for everyone, like an argumentative attitude had settled over the area.

Jake and Teresa had words, with Jake ending up sleeping on the couch for several nights, the Slicker home rife with tension.

Loren and Dorothy spoke sharply to one another and were not even speaking – and this after he gave such wonderful 'romance' advice to his grandson.

Horace and Myra had disagreed over something silly and were nursing hurt feelings.

The Reverend and Anna found themselves in a quandary, with Sarah seeming to have set her mind totally against her mother and the 'preacher' getting together for any reason, leaving the two adults – who were now totally in love – scrambling for a solution.

Colleen continued to refuse to even speak to Hannah, which made for several uncomfortable family dinners, although Michaela was, for the most part, too preoccupied to intervene or help, beyond a perfunctory, "Eat your dinner, girls."

Indeed, the dreaded thoughts Michaela had resolutely swept away seemed determined to return and take root...namely that her gorgeous, virile husband had become tired of, or worse, turned-off by, his ever-broadening wife.

The fact that he seemed to be making himself scarce encouraged the very fertile garden of Michaela's imagination to suffer a growth surge of wild weeds.

OOOOOOOOO

Ingrid continued to give Matthew the silent treatment, refusing to even sit with him on the bus. To make matters worse, the other kids had begun a constant barrage of teasing.

Two days after Ingrid's humiliation, Matthew tried to talk to her at her locker, but when several kids snickered and whispered as they walked past, Ingrid slammed the door shut and hurried away from him, nearly in tears.

Matthew stood gazing after her, totally confused. Just then, he noticed Brian and Anthony standing with a group of younger kids who were whispering and pointing his way. Matthew quickly moved over and pulled his brother away from the others, demanding, "Brian, what's goin' on?"

Brian glanced around uncomfortably, kicking at the floor with the toe of one shoe.

"Spill it, little brother," Matthew insisted, albeit gently.

Brian looked up at him, over at the kids, and back at his brother. "They're talkin' about you and Ingrid."

The young man glanced over and glared at the group, causing them to break up and move on down the hall. He turned his attention back to his brother. "What're they sayin'?"

"They're sayin' Ingrid's a 'smut.' What's that mean?"

Matthew blanched at the awful word, scrambling for a way to tell his young brother the slang word's meaning.

"They said she's your 'umfriend' now...that you and her do things. What'd you and her do?" asked the innocent little boy, gazing upward at his older brother.

Matthew was reeling from this piece of information. _My 'umfriend'! My God! Everybody thinks we've done the deed! No wonder she won't talk ta me!_ Looking around miserably, feeling like everyone in the hall was staring at him, Matthew mumbled, "We didn't do _nothin'_ Brian," and hurried away to find his girlfriend before class began – hoping she would talk to him.

Brian stood staring after him for several moments, before shrugging and turning to make his way to his classroom.

OOOOOOOO

After a frustrating and worry-laced day, Michaela entered their bedroom to dress for the church's Valentine party that evening, pushing the door shut with a sigh. Truth be told, going to a party was the absolute last thing she wanted to do, but she felt obligated to go, since she had been on the committee that organized the affair.

She grimaced as she pictured Ellen Miller working with her and Grace, gushing about the romantic plans Harv had made for them to enjoy that night, after the party. Shaking her head, she would have chuckled at the fact that she now found herself jealous of the woman, if not for the distressing truth - Sully now seemed to have very nearly changed places with Harv Miller.

_No, that's ridiculous_, she scolded herself, turning and immediately spotting a garment box lying on the bed, a card on top.

Curious, she crossed to it, opening the card with nervous anticipation. It was a small, plain valentine with a one-line verse, under which Sully had merely signed his name. No sentiment, no romantic declarations, just..._Sully_.

Slightly disheartened, Michaela reached down to open the box. Moving the tissue paper aside, she viewed a lovely red polyester v-necked maternity top sporting an empire waistline trimmed with rows of sequins, and slanted, elbow length sleeves.

Picking up the charming top, she held it against her chest, wandering to the mirror over her vanity and critically eying her reflection. _Why did he do this? Because he felt...obligated to give me something? _She wondered, as the incident from that morning came rushing back into her mind.

_Thinking her husband had made breakfast for her, she had quietly descended the stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of him before he noticed her. She had stopped near the bottom when she had overheard her husband's hushed voice, apparently talking on the phone with someone._

"_Yeah. Right. Oh I know...same here. Who, my wife? Nah, she ain't got a clue...but if she finds out, I know how to handle her, no sweat."_

_I know how to handle her... handle her...handle her... _the words echoed in Michaela's mind. She closed her eyes as she remembered slinking back up the stairs and making her way to the bedroom, closing the door and sinking onto the bed, shocked tears filling her eyes.

Sully telling some unknown person that he could 'handle' her? She sat there for a long time, striving valiantly to tell herself she was imagining things that simply were not true, finally praying to God for strength to handle it if, God forbid, it _were_ true. Then, when she finally felt confident enough to face him, she had gone back downstairs, only to find him gone, but he had left a short note on the table: _Didn't want to wake you. Got lots to do. See you later. Sully._

Suddenly, not having heard the door open, she was startled out of her reverie by Colleen's voice. "Pretty top."

The girl crossed the room and took the garment from Michaela's numb fingers, holding it up to the light. "Dad give you this?" she asked innocently, having noticed the open box.

"Yes," Michaela whispered, swallowing dryly.

"It'll look real pretty on you, with your hair and all," Colleen complimented, glancing at her mother's face. Unable to read her expression, she asked, "Somethin' wrong?"

Pressing her lips together tightly and gritting her teeth to keep tears at bay, Michaela shook her head with an attempt at a smile. "No. Nothing's wrong. Just a little tired, that's all."

"Oh. Well, maybe the party'll make you feel better. Just wish _I_ didn't have to go," she added, almost under her breath.

Michaela turned her focus on her daughter, realizing that something was definitely not right. Reaching out a hand, she smoothed a lock of blond hair back from her face and peered closer, asking, "Don't you feel well, sweetheart?"

Colleen shrugged, not sure she wanted to go into the details of the major rift between her and Hannah. "I'm ok."

"Are you sure?" Michaela pressed, ashamedly realizing she had been woefully remiss in her motherly duties lately. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Well...I...uh..." the girl began, glancing toward the door to make sure she had closed it. "I got my period the other day," she finally admitted.

"Oh Colleen!" Michaela smiled, drawing her daughter into her arms. "My little girl is a woman, now," she added, tilting her head back and closing her eyes as she gently pressed Colleen's face against her chest.

Pulling back, she moved over to the bed, gently tugging Colleen's hand. As they sat, Michaela asked, "Do you...have any questions? I mean...I know we've discussed this in the past...and they teach about it in school...but..."

A little embarrassed, Colleen lowered her face some, shaking her head.

"Nah...Hannah...helped me. It happened at school," she added softly, memories of the day both sweet and bitterly sour.

Her mind now firmly in family mode, Michaela observed her daughter, noticing the look in her brown eyes when she said Hannah's name. "Is everything alright between you and your sister?"

Colleen glanced up at her, and then dropped her gaze again, staring at her fingers twisting together in her lap. "Not really...but...I don't wanna talk about it...okay?"

Feeling decidedly ashamed that she had not been there for her children, Michaela nodded, reaching for one of Colleen's hands. "As you wish. But... I'm here...if you change your mind."

Colleen smiled and leaned to give her mother a kiss on the cheek and threw her arms around her neck as Michaela hugged her tightly. "I know, Mom. Love you."

"I love you, too," she returned. "Now, I suppose we should be getting dressed to go to the party." Standing, she hesitated, and then glanced at her daughter. "Have you...seen your father today?"

"Nope, Matthew said he was doin' some work for somebody."

Drawing in a large breath, Michaela managed a smile. "Well, you run along, then."

After the door closed behind the girl, Michaela stood with her hands on her hips, truly feeling as if her world had suffered a major shift, like the San Andreas Fault, and she was helpless to stop it. Sighing resolutely, she turned to begin her preparations.

Several minutes later, she stood critically observing her image in the mirror. The red top flowed freely, complimenting her increasingly circular shape quite becomingly, she thought, turning sideways to observe her rounded profile. _Still...even with lovely clothing...I'm not by any stretch of the imagination 'alluring'. _

Grumbling decidedly insulting remarks to her image in the mirror, she finally shrugged with a sigh, quickly pulled her hair back into two barrettes, freshened her makeup, and made her way downstairs.

Striving to contain her impatience with her AWOL husband, she picked up the phone and called his cell, waiting several rings before he answered.

"Sully? Where are you? It's time to leave for the party..."

"I'm workin' on somethin'...you guys go on, and I'll meet up with ya in a little while."

"But..." she began, only to realize that either the call had been dropped, or he had ended the connection.

Sighing with resignation, she turned to the children. Viewing their long faces, she shrugged fatalistically and murmured, "Well...come children. Let's just get this over."

OOOOOOO

No one seemed inclined toward the church's Valentine's party, including the Reverend himself, and if he could have gotten away with canceling it, he would have. One by one, however, the disgruntled couples found reasons to force themselves to go.

As the attendees entered the church's decorated hall and began to mingle, however, a comfortable camaraderie slowly began to permeate the building, and little by little, smiles began to be seen and laughter heard as the friends began to relax.

The committee had really outdone themselves this year, partly due to the ideas of its newest member, Ellen Miller.

Candlelit tables artfully arranged with red, pink, and white cloths, and festooned with pink and red roses, and bowls with chocolate treats, transformed the sanctuary into an elegant dining hall. Banners with romantic words and phrases adorned the walls.

Food for the adult half of the party was being catered, with soft music playing, while the children and teens were to gather in the basement recreation hall to feast on pizza and enjoy fun games.

Watching his beautiful, feisty wife across the room talking with friends, Jake suddenly realized just how much he missed being in her good graces, and swallowed his pride, approached her and took her gently over to one side. After he delivered a few well spoken and heartfelt sentences, his fiery tempered spouse broke into a large grin and leaned up to give him a decidedly firm kiss of forgiveness.

Loren, too, felt the sting of cooled romance and approached the love of his life, hemming and hawing, and 'awwwwwing', until he managed to say the words she had been waiting to hear that cleared the air between them. Dorothy, her blue eyes twinkling, leaned to give him a sweet kiss on the cheek to let him know all was truly forgiven. In true _Loren_ fashion, he grumbled self-deprecatingly, "I guess I outta take my own advice on romance," causing his beautifully dressed, red haired date to chuckle happily and slip her hand into the crook of his arm as they commenced to make their rounds.

As Horace observed his friends, he knew he had been very much at fault regarding the rift between his wonderful girlfriend and himself, and making up his mind to swallow his pride, he turned toward the refreshment table to get her a glass of punch, nearly bumping into her as she appeared at his side. Smiling her sweet, sincere smile, she offered her extremely tall boyfriend a cup of the refreshing libation. Horace took the proffered drink, stammered an apology, leaned over to give her a somewhat sloppy kiss, and led her over to several chairs to await the festivities.

A few moments later, Michaela and her family made their way through the door.

"Dr. Mike," Grace greeted, causing Michaela to turn from hanging her jacket on the rack next to the entrance.

"Good evening, Grace," Michaela replied, gazing around at the beautifully appointed room. "Everything looks wonderful."

"It sure does. Seems like Ellen's really got a flare for decoratin'," the other woman agreed, inclining her head toward a large pot filled with natural tree branches just inside the door, beautifully decorated with glittering hearts, tissue paper roses, and lacy sachets filled with fragrant potpourri.

Michaela nodded, her eyes sweeping the room as she watched her friends mingling happily.

Grace watched her for a moment, noticing her pensive expression. "You look mighty pretty tonight, Dr. Mike. That new?"

Michaela glanced down and brought a hand to her stomach, smoothing the soft, red material with a somewhat sad smile. "Yes...Sully got it for me."

Grace nodded, her brow furrowing when Michaela looked up and met her eyes. "Where IS Sully? Parkin' the car?"

Glancing around and striving to tamp down her aggravation and answer her friend in a civil tone, she murmured, "I don't know. He said he had something to take care of and he would meet us here. Though I can't imagine what it could be," she added under he breath.

"Well...I'm sure he'll finish what ever is keepin' him, real soon," her friend offered sympathetically.

Drawing in a steadying breath, Michaela dutifully whispered, "Yes, I'm sure he will."

Several minutes later, Hannah sidled up to her mother as she was trying to enjoy a cup of punch with Grace.

Michaela smiled and reached out to smooth a lock of her daughter's honey hair from her forehead. "Hello sweetheart. Are you enjoying the party downstairs?" she asked lovingly.

Hannah shrugged as if that was of no consequence, because in truth, she would rather be anywhere but there.

"Dad called my cell phone. He said to ask you to come to the clinic, he needs to show you something."

"Show me something? Did he say what?" Michaela responded, her brow furrowed in total perplexity. _What in the world couldn't wait until after the party – or even until tomorrow?_

"Nope," the young girl shrugged. "Just said give you the message."

"But..." Michaela sputtered, glancing at her friend.

"Go ahead, Dr. Mike," Grace offered quickly, reaching to take Michaela's cup helpfully and touch a hand to her back, encouraging her to move towards the door and her jacket. "The kids'll be fine."

OOOOOOOO

Swallowing her aggravation, Michaela took a deep breath as she pulled into the parking space behind the clinic, her brow furrowing as she spotted what looked like a note taped to the back door. _Now what? If he went somewhere else, this would be the last straw!_

Extricating herself from the Escalade's driver's seat, she approached the door, reaching to take down the note, a curious expression on her face as she read, "Mé'oo'o," written on the envelope in Sully's distinctive, masculine hand. She gasped softly as she read the brief note inside. _"Michaela, my beautiful wife – through this door, magic awaits!"_

Her heart beginning to pound, she swallowed dryly and turned the knob, stepping inside. Gasping softly in surprise, she gazed around the living quarters of the clinic. Dozens of candles, from the very large to tiny, adorned the open living area, some of the scented variety and emitting an absolutely divine aroma. Their faint, flickering light giving the room such a romantic ambiance, the aggravation, suspicion, and doubt that had held her heart and mind prisoner immediately began to disintegrate. Raising a hand to her mouth, eyes watering, she unconsciously held her breath as her eyes scanned her surroundings.

The table, covered by a red tablecloth, held two elegant place settings. Michaela recognized her good china, along with the crystal goblets she had received at her bridal shower. Wrapped gifts sat in one chair, and upon second glance, she realized one of them was the gift she had wrapped and hidden for Sully! A very large gift leaned against the wall.

Spying a tall slender vase in the center of the table, containing a single perfect long-stemmed red rose, she noticed a note propped against it. Intrigued, she stepped close and picked it up. Inside it read:

"_Lovely lady, your transportation has arrived. Take a ride with me to 'Sully's Paradise' – Valentine style."_

Just then, brow furrowed, she realized the air held the scent of..._roast beef_? Before her mind could comprehend the significance of this, her eye caught movement from the living area and she turned her head to see her husband peeking at her over the back of the couch. When he realized she had seen him, he raised up on his knees, bracing his elbows on the couch back as he gazed at her, his face sporting his full dimpled grin.

"Bout time you got here," he murmured, his voice low and sexy. "Dreams can only satisfy a man so long, you know," he added teasingly.

Michaela let her breath out in a rush as she remembered the moment from their courtship her husband had recreated – when he had returned from his and Hannah's vacation and had fallen asleep on her couch – subsequently dreaming of them together, naked, before they were formally engaged. Having heard him murmur in his sleep, she had teased him cheekily.

Suddenly, it was all too much...the lonely nights, the not knowing, the suspicions, the fears, and the aggravation...

"Oh Sully!" she squeaked, and without warning, broke down in tears.

Alarmed, Sully jumped up, rounded the couch, and ran to his wife, swiftly taking her in his arms.

"Sweetheart! What's wrong?" he murmured, holding her as she wound her arms around him, weak in the knees with relief. "Aw honey...don't cry...this was all supposed to make ya happy," he murmured contritely, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Sshh...hey now," he whispered, gently swaying side to side.

After several minutes, she managed to stem the flow of relieved tears and pull back, gratefully receiving the bandana he offered and delicately wiping her eyes and nose.

Glancing around again and seeing more decorations, candy, flowers, and realizing soft music was playing, she murmured, "I...I can't believe you did all this..."

Smiling lovingly, so anxious to tell her all the details of his surprise, he pulled her gently into his arms again, pressing his lips ever so gently to hers. The smooth, familiar warmth of his lips never failed to move her, and she melted against him.

After a long and very satisfying kiss, Sully pulled back a little, whispering, "This time, nothin's gonna interrupt our time alone together...and we've got all night...our own private party," he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"All night?" she questioned, wondering about the children...possible patients, and the dreaded cell phone calls from the dispatcher.

"Yep, got everything arranged. Any emergency calls to the clinic will be transferred to the ER at Penrose. Brian's gonna spend the night at Anthony's, the girls are spendin' the night at Loren's, and Matthew is thrilled to have the house all to himself...and I told the dispatcher I'm takin' the night off."

A thought crossing her mind, Michaela blinked as she gazed up at him, murmuring, "Did Grace know anything about this?"

He grinned, his eyes twinkling merrily. "Yep, she helped me plan every bit of it."

Thinking it made sense now how Grace jumped in to offer to watch the kids, Michaela's eyes began to sparkle with anticipation. "And just what did you have in mind, my husband?"

He chuckled again, that confident timbre that never failed to cause those familiar delicious tingles to zip through her core.

Leaning in for a slow, smooth kiss, he whispered, "You'll see..."

OOOOOOOO

Matthew had been watching the stairs, and he smiled in relief when he saw Ingrid and her sisters make their way down into the recreation hall. Determined to nip their tiff in the bud, he made his way over to them, leaning to give his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek as her sisters giggled.

"Hey," he murmured.

"Hey," she answered back a trifle stiffly, but surprisingly allowed his kiss.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked softly. She answered with a shrug.

Gently, Matthew took her hand and led her away to a somewhat secluded corner.

Turning to face her, he murmured softly, "Ingrid, I'm sorry I got ya in trouble on the bus the other day. I don't know what got into me...I was just in a weird mood I guess...please don't be mad at me any more."

Pressing her lips together in an almost pout, she murmured softly, "Do you know what people are saying about me now? That I'm..."

"But ya _ain't_," he interrupted. "You and I both know we ain't done nothin' wrong."

"That doesn't matter. My mother always says once a girl gets a reputation..." she whined miserably, cringing as she recalled the screaming sessions with her mother she had endured all week.

Matthew shook his head. "We'll figure somethin' out. It'll all blow over, you'll see. And if I have to bust some heads in the process, so be it," he vowed firmly. "Nobody better say one negative word about you ta _me_."

As she searched his eyes, touched at his vow of chivalry, he added softly, "I brought your Valentine's present...if ya want it."

Nodding, Ingrid smiled and brought a hand up to smooth a lock of her hair behind one ear as Matthew pulled a small wrapped package from his shirt pocket.

"Here...I made this for ya," he offered with his half grin.

Ingrid eagerly opened the wrapping, revealing a photo frame that read, "I love Ingrid" at the top, and a picture of them smiling and dancing together dressed in period clothing, taken by a photographer at last year's 'Founder's Day' dance.

"Oh Matthew! I love it!" she breathed as she traced their images with a finger. Matthew grinned at her reaction, very glad he seemed to have chosen the right gift. He handed her a card. Smiling shyly, she opened it. The front read, "When". Inside were the words: _"When I hear your laugh… When we share a secret… When we are in a crowd… When I'm by myself… When you're just being you… When you reach for me… That's when I love you. Happy Valentine's Day, Matthew." _

His apology, the gift, and the card having done the trick, Ingrid melted against him, sealing their reconciliation with a kiss. As she pulled back, with a shy grin, she reached in her purse and produced a small wrapped gift. At his look of surprise, she admitted softly, "I...I brought it just in case."

His lips formed his customary half grin again as he received it from her hand and took off the wrapping. Inside the box, Matthew found a handmade, braided rawhide bracelet, adorned with tiger-eye and onyx beads, and in the center, small polished wooden beads with his initials. Matthew was speechless. It was beautifully made, and he instantly adored it.

"Ingrid...did you make this?" he asked softly.

She nodded, "I got the idea after I saw the necklace your ancestor made..."

"It's awesome..." he murmured, leaning in happily and pressing a firm kiss to her lips. Holding the bracelet to his wrist, she helped him tie it on and they both admired how well it looked on his arm. "Thank you," he added, leaning his head against hers, their noses gently touching. "I'm glad we made up...I hated that you were mad at me..."

"Me too...so don't do anything stupid again," she returned with a mischievous grin.

He chuckled and kissed her again. "I won't."

OOOOOOOOO

Sometime later, having turned from watching her brother and Ingrid play foosball with Jared and his girlfriend, Maggie, Hannah spotted her sister talking with Becky near the punch bowl and stood contemplating what to do.

She had steadfastly avoided Richard the rest of the week, although he had tried numerous times to find a way to get her alone, slipping notes to her that he was crazy about her and dreamed of her. As much as Hannah hated that Colleen was hurt, she was also very flattered by Richard's interest. He was the first boy to pay attention to her as a 'woman', rather than just the teasing antics of the boys in her class over the years. She liked that feeling – and Richard was so cute.

Just then, she spotted Richard and his family coming in the door, and her eyes lit up. She hadn't thought they would come to the party, since they had been visitors at church just the week previous. Now, after the Reverend greeted them, Richard looked around for familiar faces and strolled over to a group of kids their age. One was a girl named Alice who never failed to rub Hannah and Colleen the wrong way. As Hannah began to move toward the group, she paused, watching as Richard handed Alice what looked like a Valentine. She opened and read it, her face bursting with a smile, and leaned to kiss his cheek as he grinned happily.

Hannah felt stabbed in the heart and she gasped, turning quickly. It was then that she noticed Becky and Colleen watching the same scene. The three made eye contact. As Hannah turned, grappling with the jealous feelings Alice and Richard's kiss had evoked, Colleen made her decision, and crossed to her sister.

"Hey Hannah."

"Hey Colleen."

"Looks like Richard's moved on."

"Yeah..." Hannah murmured, turning her head toward him and clamping her lips. "He sure didn't lose no time."

"You know, I'm thinking...what's so special about him anyway? He ain't so cute."

"Nah...his teeth are crooked," Hannah fudged, but they both knew she was making that up. It broke the ice, though, and they both giggled.

Suddenly, Hannah waxed serious, reaching for her sister's hand. "Colleen...I never meant to hurt you...I've missed you being my sister."

"I missed you, too," Colleen returned with a small smile.

"I'll never do nothin' like that again," Hannah vowed. Then reaching in a pocket, she drew out a homemade valentine, shyly handing it to her sister. "Here...I made this for you."

"You did?" Colleen asked, grinning, and took the card. The front read: **My Sister. ** Inside were the words: _"What you mean to me is more than I can express. I had no sister when I was little to talk to when I was in distress. But God had a plan through all those years. He was making us for each other, to share all our smiles and tears. I never could imagine what a sister's love was about – until I met you and then I found out. Now I'm glad I didn't have a sister in the past. It's made me much more thankful for the sister I have at last. Your forever sister, Hannah."_

With tears filling her eyes, Colleen bit her lip and looked up at her sister, now truly ashamed she had allowed such a feud to develop between them.

"I'm glad you're my forever sister," she squeaked softly, reaching to hug her sibling as she clutched the heartfelt card. She knew it would be one of her treasured possessions for the rest of her life.

Pulling back, they linked arms, giggling, and made their way to the refreshment table.

OOOOOOOO

"Oh Sully...do I look as foolish as I feel?" Michaela asked softly, her arms wrapped around her husband, swaying together to the soft music as closely as their child would allow.

"I think you look beautiful when you're jealous," he teased in a whisper, prompting her to drop her eyes in a blush.

"But Michaela...I can't believe you were thinkin' that stuff," he fussed softly. "Mé'oo'o, don't ya know I'm crazy about ya? Don't ya remember what I told ya in Boston on Christmas night? I could never lie to you...and I'd rather die than hurt ya."

"I know...I guess I just...let my imagination run wild," she shrugged as she attempted to articulate her feelings. "When you kept staying out, not telling me where you were, being so mysterious...and not being...well...attentive to me," she added, biting her lip.

He shook his head, truly astounded that his beautiful wife had entertained even one minute of suspicion or doubt about his love and faithfulness. "I've just been flat tired, I guess. I'm sorry I worried ya."

Swaying to the gentle music, he smoothed her hair back, softly nuzzling her cheek. "I _was_ kinda stayin' away a little, I guess...cause I knew if you asked me straight out what I was doin', I wouldn't be able to lie to ya," he admitted softly.

Smiling, she pulled back enough to see him, and brought a hand around to caress his smooth face. "Will you tell me now what you've been doing?"

With a grin, he turned his head and kissed her fingers, "I been workin' durin' the day for Robert E., and doin' some carpentry work for the guy that put in our furnace, plus doin' extra runs with the rollback," he admitted softly.

"But Sully! Why? You must be absolutely exhausted," she murmured, gazing at him with the practiced eye of a physician.

He grinned again. "Cause I wanted to be able to buy you a bunch of stuff for Valentine's Day."

Her mouth dropped open at his admission. "Oh Sully, you know you don't have to buy..." she paused as he touched two fingers to her lips.

"Sshh. I wanted to. Wanted to show ya how special ya are to me...and when I started lookin' around for what to give ya, I kept comin' up with more and more things...so..." he trailed off, shrugging shyly.

Truly speechless, she could only shake her head in amazement at her wonderful husband. Glancing down, she smiled and lovingly caressed the material of her top covering her rounded belly, smiling again as she felt the baby within move a little in response to her touch.

"I love your gift..."

Smiling with satisfaction, he murmured, "I heard you say you didn't have a red top to wear to the party...so I went to the mall, that little shop you like, and the lady there helped me pick it out. Ya look beautiful in it, by the way."

"Thank you," she murmured with a soft smile. Glancing around at their surroundings, she remarked, "Did you do all of this yourself?"

Grinning, he shook his head. "Grace helped me. We been sneakin' around all week, sendin' each other text messages with ideas," he added with a chuckle. "And today, you kept lookin' out the window of the homestead, and I was so scared you'd see us goin' in and out bringin' stuff in here."

She shook her head with a loving smile, "Not once."

"Good," he chuckled again with a very satisfied smile.

Gazing at him, Michaela waxed serious again. "I...I was afraid you were...becoming tired of my misshapenness..."

"'_Chaela_..." he whispered in amazement. Searching her eyes, his shifting back and forth between hers in that way that always made her breath catch, he vowed with total sincerity, "I know I've teased you about it, but...no matter how big you might get with the baby, you'll always be a sensuous... beautiful woman. _My_ woman," he declared just above a whisper, adding with a tiny, helpless shrug, "I'll always find you as beautiful as I did the first day I saw you." Having slowed their dance to a stop, he held her gaze, his eyes beseeching her to see into the open book of his heart.

With a soft smile, she met his gaze, allowing his declaration to wash away every remaining particle of doubt from her mind.

"What made you think such a thing?" he murmured, gazing down at her lovingly, desiring to understand every nuance in the mind of the woman he loved.

Glancing down and thinking back over the week, she raised her eyes to his again. "For one thing...the letter I found in your pocket. Sully...it was _perfumed_," she murmured, searching his eyes.

Smiling knowingly, he brought one of her hands up, kissing her fingers as he murmured, "That's a funny story. That wasn't a letter...it was my pay envelope from that carpentry job. Mr. Virgil's wife wrote my name on it, and their little girl picked up a bottle of cologne and sprayed it, saying she wanted it to smell nice for the nice man," he added with a chuckle. "Oh, and if you'da opened that, you woulda had no more questions."

At her look, he added, "Mrs. Virgil wrote me a note, tellin' me she was giving me cash money so I could go straight to the store and buy my beautiful wife all those things I told her about, and wished us a very happy Valentine's Day."

"Oh my," she responded, biting her lip and shaking her head at her foolishness. "I tried to seek solace in the journal, but it backfired on me," she confessed.

At his look, she added, "I read of the Valentine's Day during their engagement period, but Sully left to spend three days away at an Indian Affairs conference – totally not caring about spending it with Michaela. I'm afraid learning that only made me feel even more hopeless. I was convinced that Sully men all have an aversion to the holiday."

"Did you read the whole account of that?" Sully asked curiously.

Her brow furrowed, she admitted, "No...that was enough...I stopped reading then."

Chuckling, he shook his head. "You should have read on just a bit. I read about that Valentine's Day too – and Sully came back one day early, with a surprise. Seems he had bought her an engagement ring months before and waited till Valentine's Day to give it to her, to make it more special. It was what got me thinking about what I could do for our special day..."

"Oh dear," she lamented. "It seems I did nothing but sabotage myself this week!"

"Mmm hmm," he agreed with a grin. Leaning in, Sully kissed her again, long and deep, reveling in the feel of his wife in his arms again – it had been a long week for him, also.

"But now," he murmured, forcing himself to pull back and prolong their evening. "I think it's time we eat that food Grace made...we're gonna need plenty of strength for later," he added with a wink. Michaela chuckled softly, as they turned, wrapping their arms around each other and strolling over to the dining table.

"So...what exactly do you have planned, Mr. Sully?" Michaela asked as Sully gallantly seated her.

He chuckled, leaning over to press a soft kiss to her lips. "In due time, Mrs. Sully, in due time. Your only job is to enjoy the ride," he added with a tantalizing wink.

Turning, he busied himself removing food from the oven and dishing it into the elegant tableware as she watched him with sparkling eyes.

For the next little while, the lovers sampled Grace's delicious roast beef, leaning near and exchanging flavored kisses, feeding each other tidbits, and holding their glasses entwined as they sipped sparkling ginger ale, totally enamored with the night, the romantic atmosphere Sully had created, and with each other.

OOOOOOOOO

When they had eaten their fill, Michaela sat back, quite satisfied as Sully quickly cleared the dishes away, and then reached for the remaining gifts and cards, placing them onto the table.

Michaela arched an eyebrow at him. "I thought I had that hidden quite well. Do you mind telling me how you knew where it was?"

Her clever husband smiled his dimpled grin at her. "I didn't, but after you left for the party and I was gettin' dressed," he paused, indicating his dress shirt and slacks, "I stumbled on it...and I thought you might want to give me my gift when I give you yours."

"Mmm, all right. But now I know I'll have to find another hiding place."

"You can try," he quipped boyishly.

Reaching for a card, he placed it in front of her. "Here, go on...open it," he encouraged.

She pressed her lips together and wiggled her eyebrows in anticipation, making short work of the job. On the front was the drawing of a house, a couple entwined in one window with the words, "My Love." Inside it read:

"_This morning, as the sun came through our window, I looked over at you as you slept. I saw our first conversation, when I realized that my search was over and I was hooked forever. I saw our first kiss, and felt the smile that wouldn't leave my face for hours after. I saw my lover... my lady... my best friend. I saw the greatest blessing of my life. Thank you for being mine. Happy Valentine's Day. All my love. Sully."_

Tears pricked her eyes as she read the words of the card he had chosen, remembering that she had awoken that morning in the bright sunshine, only to suffer hours of unnecessary heartache afterward. Raising her eyes to his, she whispered, "Thank you, my love. It's beautiful...and thank you for this evening."

He smiled lovingly at her, leaning for a slow, warm kiss. "You're welcome. But the night ain't over yet."

Then leaning back, he asked with a twinkle, "Can I open mine now?"

Michaela chuckled and nodded as he reached for the small package, wasting no time with being careful with the paper. His breath caught when he opened the box. Inside was a fashionable men's leather bracelet, both subtle and masculine. It had a stainless steel inset, on which was engraved the words, _"My husband, my lover, my life - I adore you. Michaela." _

Taking it out, he ran a thumb over the words, his eyes seeking hers as a smile lit his face. "I love it. Thank you, sweetheart."

"You're welcome," she murmured with a pleased grin, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "There's a card, too."

He reached for it like a little boy at Christmas, opening it quickly. The front read: "Love You Now and Forever". Inside it read: _"What my heart values most are the moments we share and the times of which only you and I know the beauty. Your love is the sweet fruit of life. Now and forever, I am yours. Happy Valentine's Day. Michaela."_

"And I am yours," he whispered, leaning for one more long, lingering kiss.

Pulling back, he murmured, "Now, close your eyes."

Smiling, she dutifully obeyed, and he reached down, bringing up a gift bag. Placing it in front of her, he whispered, "Okay."

Grinning happily, she pushed aside the red tissue paper and brought out a tiny, newborn 'onesie', with the words, "My mommy's beautiful, huh?"

"Ohh," she crooned, raising it to her cheek. "I love it."

He chuckled. "I couldn't resist."

Next, he reached in the bag and pulled out an envelope, laying it in her hands. Arching an eyebrow at him, she opened it, removing a gift certificate for a full package at the finest spa & salon in Colorado Springs. Knowing how expensive it must have been, her eyes met his. "Sully..."

He shrugged with a grin. "I heard ya tell Snowbird that ya dreaded the day when you wouldn't be able to...um...do for yourself, because of the baby," he paused, almost blushing. She grinned, knowing he meant things like clipping her toenails or shaving her legs. "So, this is good for a whole year – and you can even split it up if you want."

"Sully...this is too much..." she murmured, but he put up a hand and shook his head.

"Nothin's too much..." he whispered, "and I ain't done yet."

"Sully! My goodness!"

Grinning, he leaned to grasp the large gift from against the wall.

"What on earth?" she asked as he brought it near, helping her take the wrapping off. Inside was a huge 'pregnancy pillow'.

"You know how many different types of these there are?" he asked, shaking his head. "This is supposed to be the best."

Michaela reached for it, wrapping it around her body experimentally. "I can't wait to try it out."

He nodded. "But the saleslady said if you don't like this one, we can take it back and get another."

Grinning at her adoring husband, Michaela murmured, "Thank you, sweetheart," and reached for him. He leaned in over the pillow and her rounded belly, both chuckling as they could barely reach each other's lips.

Then pulling back, he looked into her eyes, suddenly serious, as it was time for the second part of his surprise to begin. Standing up, he took her hand, tugging her gently to her feet and helping her extract herself from the pillow, then coaxing her across to the stairs.

At the top, he motioned for her to wait, pressing a kiss to her fingertips before slipping into the bathroom and shutting the door. She heard the water begin to run into the tub and could hear Sully moving around the room. Then, the door opened and he reached for her hand with a grin, tugging her gently into the candlelit room, and shutting the door behind them.

Sighing with pleasure, she gazed around at the candlelight flickering against the tile walls, the scented candles filling the small room with a heavenly aroma.

With another grin, Sully stepped back enough for her to see the bathroom's whirlpool tub. Candles lined its edges, their favorite shower gel and washcloths lay ready, an early Beatles love song played softly from a small CD player off to one side, and on a tiny table at one end sat...a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.

Michaela drew in a breath, her eyes tearing a little as images of their honeymoon came to mind and she turned to him, at a loss for words. How was she so lucky as to have found a man like this? So romantic, so loving...

He stepped close to her, lifting a hand to her cheek as she stared, spell bound, up into those vivid blue eyes she adored, unable to do anything but allow her own eyes to drift shut as he gently tilted her head, guiding her mouth to his, his lips warm, smooth...heavenly – and as always, the perfection of his kiss sent her to the brink of paradise.

After a few moments, she felt his hands gently move to the bottom edges of her red top, taking hold of the soft material and gently tugged it upwards, breaking their kiss long enough to draw it over her head, dropping it on the floor at their feet.

Working steadily, each helped the other undress down to their intimate wear. Pulling back a little from her, he gently turned her body in his arms until her back was to his chest and she could see their reflection in the full length mirror on the back of the door.

Pressing his cheek to hers, his chin gently against her shoulder, he whispered reverently, "God, you're beautiful," his hands moving feather light against her skin as he caressed her arms.

She stared at herself and her husband's face hovering next to hers in the soft, flickering light of the candles, watching as he admired her form.

Knowing his wife needed reassurance of his continued ardor, he whispered, "I love your skin," raising one hand and allowing the backs of his fingers to caress the curve of her neck. "So smooth and soft..." Michaela leaned into his touch, fighting to stop herself from purring with pleasure. "I have to force myself to keep my hands off you," he murmured with a sensual rasp as his hands moved down to explore two firm objects of desire that drew him like a magnet.

Removing their covering, baring them to his loving gaze, he caressed them sensually as she drew in a tiny shuddering breath, enjoying his touch.

"And this," he continued, his large, warm hands drifting down to reverently cup and caress the round cocoon which housed the product of their love. "I always want to touch it...feel it...hopin' I'll feel the baby move...amazed at everything you're goin' through to bring our child into the world," he murmured with the utmost sincerity.

Speechless, Michaela's lips parted as she met his eyes in the mirror, hers containing a hint of tears.

Then his hands drifted intimately lower, lightly caressing, as he whispered, "I adore every inch of you, Michaela Ann Quinn Sully," softly nuzzling her ear and neck, breathing in that combination he loved, part subtle perfume, part _Michaela_.

Barely able to put a lucid thought together, her husband's ministrations having long since rendered her spellbound, Michaela dreamily realized that under Sully's loving scrutiny, she felt not one shred of self-consciousness for her expanding figure.

He turned her in his arms, slowly allowing his lips and open mouth to pay homage to what he considered perfect works of art as her head helplessly fell back, allowing him greater access. Her hands rose to his head as her fingers entwined in his soft, wavy hair.

Reluctantly, Sully stepped back, managing a lopsided a grin as he dialed himself back down. Now was not the time for fulfilling their passion for each other. Michaela couldn't help but glance downward – and smiled with amusement to see he was wearing the tiny garment Jake had given him at his bachelor party. The words, "Michaela's Toy" still able to make her blush.

With a soft chuckle, he moved close again and leaned his head to kiss her, deeply and fully, as they helped each other shed the last barriers to total skin touching skin. Pulling back, Sully smiled into her eyes, his so full of love and adoration they took her breath away, before turning to step into the steaming whirlpool.

Once he was settled, he looked up, inviting her in with an uplifted hand, and she quickly tied up her hair, and then stepped into the deliciously warm water, carefully maneuvering herself between his legs.

Leaning back against her virile husband's chest as his strong arms wound around her middle, Michaela sighed languidly, the heated jets of water and Sully's warm, wet, naked body feeling like heaven on earth.

For the next thirty minutes, the lovers indulged in washing each other, their hands lingering at intimately familiar places, and feeding each other bites of the delicious sweet treats punctuated by wet, flavored kisses.

Sully's actions left no doubt in Michaela's mind that her husband still found her totally alluring and absolutely irresistible, and she knew this Valentine's Day would be one of the most, if not _the most_, memorable of her life.


	22. Two Steps Forward

**Chapter 22 – Two Steps Forward**

Michaela grinned at her friend's image on the webcam. "I wish you could have seen Sully's face as he watched the ultrasound today. Like a little boy opening a Christmas present."

"I can imagine," Snowbird nodded knowingly, picturing her brother-in-law's countenance glowing in sheer ecstatic delight. "I loved the picture you sent, and I cannot wait to watch the video of the ultrasound," Snowbird smiled happily as she put the picture up again in the corner of her screen. "Such a sweet smile...and 'snuggling' against the umbilical chord, as if he...or she... knows it is a direct line to mama."

"Oh I know..." Michaela murmured, totally smitten, staring down at the printed copy of she and Sully's child, which showed an amazingly clear image of a tiny, perfectly shaped head, and cute button nose. "Oh, Snowbird...I keep staring at that picture...wishing it were three months from now and I could see and hold the baby..."

"I feel the same way about mine," her friend responded, dropping a hand to her own burgeoning belly and giving it a loving caress.

"What did you decide?" she asked, with a mischievous grin, her brown eyes sparkling knowingly.

"We decided we wanted to keep waiting," Michaela replied, referring to the fact that neither she nor Sully had succumbed to the temptation to find out what sex their child was during the ultrasound. "The nurse teased us unmercifully," she continued. "One minute making remarks as if it were a male...then the next the complete opposite, so we truly still have no clue."

"Well, I for one want to know what _our_ baby is, so that I can begin gathering the right things," her friend announced resolutely. "I cannot wait until my appointment tomorrow and have our own ultrasound."

"You be sure and call me as soon as you find out!" Michaela admonished with a grin.

"Ahh, you want to know _ours_, but not your _own_? What is up with that?" Snowbird laughed, though she knew the reason already.

Michaela laughed with her. "I know, I know. It sounds crazy, but Sully and I just want to go about this a little bit like our ancestors did...to try and feel what they felt. Although that is as far as I'm willing to go to recreate _their_ experience," she added emphatically. "I definitely do NOT want to give birth to this baby against a tree in the middle of the wilderness – with no comforts or help whatsoever, other than a very frightened, injured husband. Not for this twenty-first century woman," she finished, shaking her head firmly.

Snowbird laughed again. "Michaela, the way your lives have paralleled theirs thus far, I think you had better pray it does not work out that way," she advised cheekily.

"I have! Believe me. Both God AND Sully know how I feel about that," Michaela immediately returned.

"Well, I hope they have listened," her mischievous friend murmured playfully.

"So do I," Michaela intoned. "Did I tell you I had a dream one night last week, where I watched, in vivid detail, Michaela having her baby at the base of that big tree? It went on and on, with her screaming and yelling until she was absolutely hoarse, pulling Sully close and then pushing him away. I could see the action as if I were watching it on a movie screen."

"Michaela! You're joking!"

"Thankfully, though, I wasn't seeing it through her eyes as if it were happening to _me_."

"Still...dreams...Cloud Dancing always says dreams tell us something about either our future or our past..." her friend informed her in a serious tone.

"Oh _stop_ it," Michaela chuckled good-naturedly. "It was more likely my mind remembering reading the details in Michaela's well-documented journal," the pragmatic physician declared firmly.

Thinking back to the journal entry, Michaela hoped with everything in her that the dream was just that...

_**May 19, 1871**_

_**My heart is so full tonight I can barely stand it. I am lying here in the magnificent bed my husband made for me, with him sound asleep by my side, and Katie, our beautiful baby girl, asleep in her crib. **_

_**I can hardly believe she's here! Well, after what I went through, I know she is...but it was so amazing to me how the pain and discomfort immediately began to recede the moment Sully looked up at me with tears in his beautiful blue eyes as he cuddled our newborn baby and whispered, "It's a girl!"**_

_**I can't believe I actually gave birth to the baby out there, in the wilderness, against the base of a huge oak tree, with nothing in the way of comfort or cleanliness or help, except a very frightened, injured husband. I know Sully was frightened that he would somehow fail me or cause something to happen to the baby, but, as always, he was wonderfully supportive. He obeyed every command I gave him, trying so hard to help, encourage, and comfort me – while ignoring the pain of not only a severely lacerated shoulder, but a broken ankle as well! **_

_**I'm afraid I confused my poor husband a good many times during that long night – pushing him away during the contractions, then begging him to hold me when they had subsided. Once, as a contraction hit, I even went from caressing his face to pinching his cheeks until they were beet red!**_

_**The pain was so much worse, even than I had imagined and feared...leaning against the gnarled trunk of that old tree – it felt like knives gouging my back. At one point I felt as if I were literally splitting apart. The night wore on and on and all I could do to try and alleviate some of the pain was to scream at the top of my lungs. My poor husband – his ears must still be ringing!**_

_**When morning finally came, and Katie was almost here, we suffered the horrible fright of the cord being in the way. At that moment, I was truly afraid that Sully would freeze in panic and be unable to help, so convinced was he that his nightmare was coming true and the cord would be wrapped around her neck – that he would lose this child just as he had lost Hanna...and ultimately would lose me in the process. I had to scream at him to make him look into my eyes, trying to penetrate the mountain of fear and get him to listen. Thankfully, he did, and was able to clamp and cut the cord, allowing our precious baby girl to make her entrance into the world, sliding into her loving father's hands.**_

_**When he crawled up to me and gently placed our baby in my arms...Mother was so right...there was no greater moment in my life.**_

"Yes...it must have been the journal," Michaela stated again, catching her lip between her teeth and meeting her friend's eyes.

"I am sure that is it, Michaela. All you have to do is make sure you stay far away from the woods when your time is close," she added decisively, as Michaela nodded in heartfelt agreement.

OOOOOOOO

"Haho," Sully murmured as his brother answered his cell phone.

"Haho, my brother," Cloud Dancing responded, slowing his truck and pulling off to the side of the road. "All is well?"

"Everything's great. Michaela and I just got back from her appointment. She's on the webcam right now with Snowbird," he answered with a grin as he drew the currycomb over Prince's back.

"What did you find out?" the Indian asked, nodding at a friend passing by.

Sully chuckled, "If you mean did we find out the sex of the baby, _nope_."

Cloud Dancing laughed and nodded. "Still determined to let it be a surprise, then?"

"Yep. That's what 'Chaela wants, so..." Sully grinned, knowing he was so smitten with his wife that he would deny her no request he was able to fulfill. "We saw pictures of the baby on the ultrasound, though..." Sully went on, allowing his mind's eye to replay the images. "'Chaela started cryin'...I think she's really gettin' anxious for it to get here."

"And she has three more months to go..."

"Yeah, but it don't seem like it's already been six months. It's goin' by quick."

Cloud Dancing chuckled wisely. "For _you_, perhaps, but I am quite sure your wife would be of a different opinion."

"And _yours_," his brother reminded him as he chuckled.

"Indeed."

"The doc told us that over the next four weeks, the baby would double in weight. You shoulda seen the look on 'Chaela's face. For a minute, she thought he meant _she_ would double in weight, too!" Sully chuckled as he remembered the amusing moment. "But then, with the way she's been eatin'..."

"Tell me you did not say that to _her_..." his brother asked pointedly.

"Brother, I learned my lesson about that," Sully laughed, continuing, "The ultrasound was amazin'. We watched the baby yawn real big and put his hand up, so clear. We could see one leg stretched over his head and the nurse goes, 'Gonna be some kind of gymnast'," Sully remembered with a chuckle.

"Oh, so it is a 'he', then?" his brother teased softly.

Sully laughed in response. "Or _she_. You know what I meant," he added as they both chuckled.

"The baby's really startin' ta be active now, kickin' and stuff," Sully confided, smiling as he pictured a scene from the evening before. "We were watchin' TV last week and Brian was holdin' Keeso real close to Michaela's stomach. Well, Keeso barked real loud, and the baby jumped! We all saw it, it was amazin'. Though Brian wasn't sure what to think about it all," he added with a chuckle.

"It is difficult for little Bright Moon to understand the miracle of creating life. But he will make a fine older brother," Cloud Dancing murmured with a smile as images of his precocious nephew came to mind.

"Yeah, I think so, too," Sully agreed with a pleased grin.

OOOOOOO

"So, what did you and Sully give each other for Valentine's Day?" Snowbird asked her physician friend as they continued their conversation.

"I had a bracelet made for Sully, and he seemed very pleased. But...oh Snowbird...he surprised me with the most wonderfully romantic night...it was so beautiful..." Michaela sighed as she related to her friend details about her and Sully's enchanted evening and night, her eyes misting as images played in her mind - the slow dancing, the candlelit dinner, the gifts, the romantic time together in the tub...and Sully's tender lovemaking. She saw again his gentle hands caressing her body, felt again his warm lips on her skin, and remembered the delicious tingles coursing through her at her husband's expert ministrations.

Watching her friend for a few moments, Snowbird nodded sagely. "Sully had told Cloud Dancing some of what he was planning, but my tight-lipped husband refused to tell me. He was afraid I would spill the beans to you," she chuckled.

"Oh I wish you could have..." Michaela immediately responded. "Because all last week, Sully made himself scarce – _now_ I know he was working extra jobs to get the money to buy me a myriad of wonderful gifts...but during the week...well..." she trailed off, meeting her friend's eyes on screen.

"_What_, Michaela?" Snowbird asked with furrowed brow.

Shaking her head at her own foolishness, Michaela admitted softly, "I'm afraid I let my imagination run wild...thinking all sorts of things that were, of course, totally untrue." Pausing, she shrugged, "I thought I was over all of the hurt from...David...but, this week, some of that resurfaced when I...found an envelope in Sully's pocket...from a woman..._perfumed_. When he explained last night it was his pay envelope from a job, I felt so foolish..."

Her feisty friend laughed and shook her head. "You have much more patience than I, my friend. I am afraid poor Cloud Dancing would have come home to find his belongings flying out the front door," she quipped, emphasizing the words with a toss of her head. "His ears would have also burned from a string of strong Cheyenne words," she added with a twinkle.

Michaela smiled at the image those words created, chuckling as she remembered something she had read in the journal concerning the original Cloud Dancing and Snowbird.

Noticing her friend remaining quiet, and recalling in detail watching Michaela's trauma after her ex-husband's timely phone call on the day of the wedding, Snowbird asked quietly, "Does Sully know what you had been thinking?"

Smiling softly, Michaela nodded, memories from the night before still fresh. "I told him...and he was truly shocked, and incredibly loving and supportive – _and_ wanted to kick himself for handling things the way he did. He truly thought I would just look into his eyes and be able to see his plans. And perhaps under normal circumstances, I _would_ have," she added with a chuckle, glancing down and caressing the prominent roundness protruding onto her lap. "But I'm afraid this little one keeps my emotions on a roller coaster."

"I absolutely understand, my friend," Snowbird returned with a knowing grin. "My husband has always told me he loves that I am a 'feisty' woman, but lately I believe he would use other words to describe my personality. I seem to go from yelling at him to crying and demanding that he hold me." Michaela nodded with a grin lifting a hand toward the camera for a cyber 'high five' with her best friend. "Pregnancy hormones – agghh! I am so glad we women are not like elephants! Twenty-two months! I would lose my mind – and probably my husband as well!" the Indian woman chuckled.

"Or like the _Frilled Shark_...three and a half years gestation! Good heavens!" Michaela contributed, both women chuckling happily and feeling very lucky to have been born a human.

When their merriment had subsided, Michaela met her friend's eyes with a smile. "So, what did you and Cloud Dancing give each other?"

"Ahh, well, we have always had the tradition that we do something for one another that we normally do not want to do," the Cheyenne confided. "So, this year, I made his favorite meal – rabbit stew – in spite of the fact that I cannot stand it, the aroma makes me nauseous," she added with a chuckle.

"Oh goodness! That is true love, Snow Bird! Especially now!"

"That is what I told him," she immediately returned. "But, oh Michaela...what he did for me touched my heart so...I broke down in tears..." she began.

Michaela, suddenly glancing at the time in the upper corner of the monitor, gasped, "Oh goodness, look at the time! I need to get supper started!"

"As do I," Snowbird grinned. "By the way, I got you on the webcam to wish you a Happy Birthday."

Grinning happily, she nodded, "Thank you – and thank you for the lovely card. Next time, I want to hear all about your romantic Valentine evening," she added with a grin.

"You shall...but perhaps not _every_ detail," Snowbird returned with a wink, her dark eyes twinkling merrily. Michaela laughed at her friend's playfulness.

"Give Sully and the children our love," her Cheyenne friend added, Michaela acknowledging as the two women signed off.

OOOOOOOO

"So, what did you do for Snowbird for Valentine's?" Sully queried, knowing his brother and sister-in-law's tradition of 'acts of service' for the day.

"I decided to bow to the pressure."

"Come again?" Sully asked, brows furrowed.

The Cheyenne drew in a large breath, clamping his lips in a resigned smile. "I made a deal with a man in Billings, trading our pickup for one more like yours – newer, and with a back seat and four doors."

Sully laughed out loud at that, knowing his brother would rather have his teeth pulled than part with his favorite truck. "I don't believe it. What did ya get?"

"A 2006 Chevy Colorado, _Crew Cab_."

"A Colorado, huh? Good choice. And those back doors will really help gettin' the baby in and out."

"Well, at least when I cannot be in Colorado, I can be in my _Colorado," _Cloud Dancing deadpanned. Sully laughed out loud again, shaking his head at his brother's quip.

"So, how did Snowbird react?"

The Indian's dark eyes twinkled with the memories. "She...found ways to let me know how pleased she was," he responded, man to man, causing Sully to let out a bawdy chuckle.

"And what'd she give _you_?_ ..._As a 'gift', I mean," he clarified pointedly as his brother chuckled again.

"She made my favorite – rabbit stew."

Sully laughed again, knowing his friends well. "Oh man, that woman _does_ love you – I know how much she hates rabbit."

"What can I say? She finds me irresistible," the Indian quipped playfully.

"Ha! You know how lucky you are that she _does_?" Sully teased.

"I do, indeed," Cloud Dancing agreed with a grin, enjoying their familiar banter. "How did Michaela react to _your_ surprise?"

Sully paused and closed his eyes, letting his head drop back a little as he remembered their emotionally charged evening. "Just the way I hoped...after a bumpy few minutes."

"Bumpy?"

"Yeah...I didn't _think_...I was concentratin' so much on gettin' everything done, that when I finally dragged myself home every night..." he began.

"Ahhh...you gave her virtually no attention during the week." his brother astutely surmised.

Sully sighed, still disappointed with himself that he had put his wonderful wife through seven days of uncertainty and wonder.

"Yeah. When she first came in and saw everything, she busted out cryin'," he remembered with a pained grimace. "But we talked it out and everything was okay after that," he explained. "_More_ than okay," he added with a grin, as memories of their romantic evening and subsequent lovemaking came to mind.

He saw again his glowingly beautiful wife, her arms reaching for him, eyes smoky with passion, her silky hair splayed around her on the white sheet as she eagerly agreed to 'try new ways.' He reveled again in the freedom of being totally alone in the house with no need to 'hold back' from verbalizing their enthusiasm. And oh...did she ever verbalize it...the memory of her cries of ecstasy caused a shiver of desire to course through his body.

Just then, his phone gave the tone for a call waiting.

"...Uh, hang on, will ya? Somebody's beepin' in..." he interrupted his musings, switching over to the other call. After a moment, he came back on the line with Cloud Dancing. "Sorry man, but I gotta go. Michaela needs my help with somethin'. I'll talk to ya later, okay?"

"All right, Sully. Give my love to the family."

OOOOOOOOO

Sully opened the front door, immediately shucking his jacket and hanging it on the rack, his eyes widening as he saw his wife standing on a kitchen chair, trying to reach something in the top cabinet.

"Michaela!" he fussed, rushing to her side. "You knew I was comin' in, you shoulda waited for me!" he added in a lovingly stern voice, as she turned to face him, a little ashamed of her impatience.

"I know..." she murmured, catching her lip. "I'm sorry."

"What are ya tryin' to reach?" he asked, his hands automatically rising to caress her belly, which was directly in his line of vision. He pressed a kiss to it as he gazed up at her, eyebrows raised in question.

"My large glass baking dish. I wanted to make a casserole..." she admitted softly as she gazed down at him, lifting a hand to smooth his hair, wind-blown from his dash from the barn. As their eyes met, each felt the familiar sparks of their powerful attraction as memories of the previous night's passion surfaced again.

Smiling lovingly and turning her sideways, he wrapped his right arm under her bottom, her hands finding his shoulders as he effortlessly lowered her to the floor. Touching a finger to her chin, he guided her face upward for a loving grin and a sweet kiss.

She watched with a dreamy smile as he stretched up to retrieve the dish, the material of his shirt accentuating the firm muscles of his shoulders and arms. Turning, he placed the dish on the table.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she sweetly murmured.

He grinned with a murmured, "You're welcome," leaning back against the counter as he watched her moving around the kitchen, gathering ingredients for the meal.

At six months, her belly was now quite prominent, but she had mastered the art of functioning while pregnant, just as she had mastered every other challenge in her life. He watched, adoring the concentration in her countenance as she moved about, her actions reminding him of earlier that morning at the clinic, when she had made breakfast for them after waking up in each other's arms.

In spite of the fact that they had had very little sleep the night before, in true Michaela fashion, she had risen, slipped into a spare robe, and made her way down the stairs to begin preparing a filling breakfast, while he was in the bathroom. He had fussed at her for that, as he had fully intended on bringing her breakfast in bed.

Releasing a sigh of contentment, he allowed his mind to replay their leisurely time together, feeding each other bites of scrambled eggs and giggling as they tried to take sips from their glasses of milk with their wrists entwined as if they were holding crystal goblets. He saw again her smile and twinkling eyes as he had presented her birthday gift to her – a charm for her bracelet – this time a tiny gold teepee. The kiss she had given him in thanks rekindled for them both the passion associated with the teepee and their unforgettable time together there – _unforgettable for more than one reason!_ he mused as his eyes once again settled on the burgeoning evidence of the product of their love.

"It still don't seem right, you makin' supper on your birthday. I was gonna take ya out..."

Flashing a look at him from across the room, she responded, "You've spent _enough_ money on me this week. And besides, I enjoy cooking...as long as it isn't German Chocolate cake," she added with a self-deprecating grin.

He chuckled and shook his head with a grin, remembering the expression on her face when he and Cloud Dancing had walked in to witness the fiasco she had made of his birthday cake.

"Did you call Cloud Dancing?" she asked, glancing at him as she came back to the table to begin her preparations, knowing he had wanted to immediately share with his brother the latest news about the baby.

"Mmm hmm," he murmured distractedly, his mind on other things as he moved toward her, drawn like a moth to a flame, and stepped up behind, slipping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck. "I keep thinkin' about last night," he whispered into her ear as she paused in her actions, and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against his shoulder with a sigh and a smile.

"Me, too," she admitted softly.

"It outta be against the law, the way you've got me wrapped around your little finger," he murmured teasingly, pressing his lips to her neck and cheek, then lifting a hand to gently turn her face toward his for a kiss.

After a few moments, she leaned back enough to meet his gaze, her eyes sparkling with joy as she whispered, "If it were, we would both be arrested, since you're guilty of the same crime."

He grinned and turned her toward his body, wrapping his arms around her, and drawing her in as close as possible. Smiling down at her, his eyes caressing her hair, face, and lips, he tilted his head to smile downward as he felt their child seemingly pressing its feet against the firm surface of its father's stomach. He grinned, remembering the night before when he had showered her belly with kisses as he happily murmured sweet nothings to his captive audience and watched it move in response, before smoothing on a good amount of expensive stretch mark cream – another Valentine gift - while she lay there gazing at him adoringly.

Remembering similar moments, Michaela closed her eyes for a quick prayer of thanks that her fears and doubts had proved for naught. Drawing in a deep breath, she mused in amazement what a difference twenty-four hours could make.

Opening her eyes again, she leaned in to touch her lips to his, determinedly keeping her desires under control as she murmured teasingly, "If I don't get back to this casserole, dinner will be late tonight."

He chuckled against her lips, quipping, "What is that old sayin'? All I need is...a jug of wine, a loaf of bread and thou?"

Grinning up into his eyes, she returned, "Mmm, that may be – but the baby and I need more than that, I'm afraid – and besides, the children will be home soon."

"Aww, I guess you're right," he murmured, allowing his lips to form an exaggerated pout. "But hey...if I help ya, it'll get done quicker, and we'll have time for a snuggle before they get here..." he added with a twinkle of his eyes and a waggle of his eyebrows.

Chuckling, Michaela shook her head, allowing her eyes to caress his handsome, beloved face and vivid blue eyes as she brought up a hand to cup his cheek, whispering, "You're insatiable!"

He chuckled in return, turning his face to kiss her palm as he whispered, "Guilty as charged, Madam. Guilty as charged."

OOOOOOOO

"I have so many plans for the future now...so many hopes and dreams are suddenly coming true," the Reverend confided to Sully as they stood together in the church the next day, after service.

Anna and Michaela stood talking together, while the girls sat on a pew chatting with Becky, who had been invited to go home with them for the day. Matthew and Ingrid sat together in the last pew, whispering, while Brian stood next to his father, as usual, trying not to let the girl, Sarah, catch him watching her.

"I couldn't be happier for ya, Reverend," Sully answered, grinning at the Reverend's huge smile.

"Oh Sully...Anna is..." he paused, glancing over at his lady love and lowering his voice. "Anna is everything I've ever wanted in a woman. I...I've asked her to marry me, and she's said yes...and she doesn't even mind that she'll be the wife of a minister," he added jokingly. "I've told her she'll make a fine minister's wife, she's so loving and understanding...and she's a wonderful listener."

Sully nodded in agreement, allowing his friend to extol the virtues of the woman he loved.

Sarah moved just then from beside her mother, and the Reverend turned to her as she edged past him, touching a gentle hand to her shoulder. "Sarah, are you ready to go get some lunch?"

Shrugging his hand off, she hissed, "Leave me alone!" and ran toward the doors of the church as her mother called her name.

The Reverend hung his head in defeat, and then glanced at Sully's sympathetic face, shrugging self-consciously.

"Sarah is...the one variable in the process, I'm afraid. I...I just can't seem to break through the wall she has built between us..."

Sully smiled encouragingly and laid a comforting hand on the other man's shoulder. "Aw Reverend...she'll come around...it'll just take a little time, is all."

"I hope you're right," the disheartened man murmured, staring at the closed doors.

Anna, who had, of course, seen the confrontation, moved a few steps toward her fiancé.

"I'll go get her..."

"You want me to get her for ya?" Brian piped up, surprising the adults with his offer.

"Yes, please Brian. Thank you," Anna answered, watching him run toward the doors.

OOOOOOOO

"Hey," Brian shyly greeted the cute little girl when he found her sitting on the front steps of the church, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she tried to ward off the February cold.

She turned her head, smiling shyly at him. "Hey."

"Your mom sent me to find ya," he explained as she continued to look up at him questioningly. His words put a scowl on her face.

"I don't want to go back in," she answered, turning her face to stare straight ahead.

Not understanding, his brows furrowed, Brian asked innocently, "How come? It's cold out here."

He watched as her shoulders shrugged dejectedly. "Cause _he's_ in there."

"Who?"

"_Reverend Tim_," she ground out.

"Don't you like him? I think he's nice," the little boy answered, lowering down next to her on the step.

"He wants to marry my mama," she answered in a huff, as she thought about the prospect of that.

"That's good! Then you can have a Mama _and_ a Daddy..." Brian began, but she interrupted him, swiveling her head toward him angrily, squealing adamantly, "He's NOT my Daddy! I _hate_ him!"

Brian's mouth dropped open in shock and he stared at her for a moment, totally unprepared for the vehemence of her response, and racking his brain to try and figure out what to reply to such a statement. Finally, he moistened his lips and murmured, "How come?"

His simple question serving to deflate the bulk of her anger, Sarah's eyes filled with tears. Sighing and shrugging, she offered the best reason she could come up with. "I...I want my Daddy to come back."

Brian cocked his head to one side as he studied her, trying to remember snippets of conversations he had heard. "But...I thought...that your Daddy is..._dead."_

Two lone tears streamed down her face as she looked into Brian's wide blue eyes. She knew it was a futile desire and she knew she was being unreasonable, but somehow, she just couldn't help herself. "I don't care. I want him to come back to us...to _me_," she answered in a whisper.

"But...if you give the Reverend a chance..." he offered, reaching out to touch her shoulder sympathetically.

"You don't understand!" she immediately came back at him. "_Nobody_ does. How could you? You've still _got_ your Daddy," she sniffed in self-pity, wiping her eyes with the back of one hand.

"Yeah..._now_...but that's because God answered my Mama's prayers," he returned gently.

Sarah gasped and wiped her eyes again, turning to search Brian's gentle blue eyes. She had forgotten that fact, having many times witnessed Brian and Sully's loving interactions.

"Sully married my mom...and adopted me...us," Brian continued.

"Yeah...I forgot about that," Sarah responded thoughtfully.

"My real daddy died before I was born...and then...my real mama died and she asked Mama to raise us. Mama was married to..._David_," he paused with a shudder. "But David didn't want us...and we moved here from Boston...and Sully _did_ want us...and he married Mama."

Sarah stared at him, digesting this information. Finally, fighting off shivers, she asked softly, "Don't you wish your real daddy would come back?"

Brian pursed his lips thoughtfully and shook his head. "Nah. I never knew him...and besides, Sully is so great. He loves me, he loves _all_ of us...and I love _him_, too. He's the best dad in the whole world!" he added with great feeling.

Sarah stayed quiet for a few moments, for the first time allowing herself to imagine the Reverend actually being a 'Dad' to her – and wondering if she could ever feel about him the way Brian obviously felt about Sully.

As if reading her mind, Brian reached to touch her arm shyly, murmuring, "Why don't ya just give Reverend Tim a chance? He's real nice. I bet it wouldn't be as bad as you think..."

Just then, Matthew came to the door. "There you are, you two. You guys better get in here, it's cold out there."

OOOOOOOO

"Oh Tim, it just seems hopeless," Anna murmured sadly as she stepped near, having watched her little girl run from her fiancé's attempts at interaction once again.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong, Anna," the Reverend returned, raking a hand back through his hair. "I've tried everything I can think of..."

Michaela and Sully exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Oh sweetheart, I know you have," Anna whispered, turning to him and placing one hand softly against his smooth cheek. "You've been the epitome of patience. I'm so sorry she's acting this way – she's even turned against _me_."

He shook his head, near to admitting total defeat. "I never meant for any of this to happen...I thought that by now she would have softened – at least a little."

Anna nodded. "Me, too."

Looking his love's eyes, the Reverend whispered, "We can't go on with our plans under the circumstances...it wouldn't be fair to her...but, that breaks my heart."

"Mine, too," she whispered, her eyes pooling as she thought about having to push this wonderful man from her life...the lonely days...and nights, she had suffered in the two years since her husband had been killed.

"Don't give up, guys. There's gotta be a way," Sully encouraged, wrapping a loving arm around his wife as the girls drew near to their parents, everyone wishing they could do or say something that would alleviate the pain their pastor and friend were feeling. Michaela wrapped an arm around Hannah.

Leaning to press a gentle kiss to Anna's lips, Tim declared in a soft murmur, "Yes. There _has_ to be a way. I know God brought us together...we just have to pray harder, I guess," he added, faith and determination once again rising.

"Yes...I'm sure you're right, Timothy. We mustn't give up," Anna murmured softly.

Clasping her hands in his, he bowed his head and whispered a heartfelt prayer for God to intervene.

Just then, the floorboards creaked and everyone looked over to see Sarah and Brian inside the doors, Matthew standing behind. As they watched, they saw Brian lift a hand and gently place it on Sarah's back, urging her forward as he whispered something to her.

Sarah hesitantly walked down the aisle toward her mother and the Reverend, stopping nearly within reach. The little girl looked at their faces – really looked at them – and realized the sadness and heartache on both countenances.

Suddenly, she felt guilty knowing she was the cause. Thinking about all that Brian had said, and the many times the Reverend had gently tried to make friends with her and she had rebuffed him, Sarah murmured softly, "I...I'm sorry for the way I've been acting."

Anna exchanged a surprised glance with Tim, wiping her eyes with a tissue as she knelt before her little girl and reached for her hand, only vaguely aware of the Sullys quietly departing to respectfully allow the three their privacy.

Taking Sarah's hands in hers, the concerned mother murmured, "Honey..._why_ have you been so rude to Timothy? Can you tell me? This isn't like you."

Sarah looked into her mother's tearful eyes, then into the Reverend's concerned brown ones, and back. Swallowing nervously, she whispered, "Cause...I thought if you marry _him_...that would mean that Daddy can't ever come back."

Anna closed her eyes, silently saying a quick prayer for wisdom. Opening her eyes, she murmured, "Sarah, honey...your father will never come back, no matter _what_ happens." Hurrying on as she saw her daughter's crestfallen expression, she added, "Do you remember when I explained to you about the place called Heaven? That people who love Jesus go there when they die and leave this earth...and later we will join them?"

Sarah's eyes once again filled with tears as she thought of her beloved father living in another place without them. "Yes," she whispered.

"Well, your father is up there right now, watching over us. He loved us very much, and he wants us to be happy, even though he can't be with us. So, I think maybe he asked God to lead us to someone who can love us and take care of us, as he would if he were still here. Don't you think that would be something he would want?"

Sarah thought about that, remembering happy times with her father. It did make sense that he would not want them to be sad. Hesitantly, she nodded, whispering, "I guess so."

Anna continued gently, "Honey, you know I loved your father. Part of my heart will always belong to him. But...I love Tim now, too. And _he_ loves _me_, very much. And he cares about _you_, too," she added, turning her head to him and meeting his eyes in invitation.

The Reverend carefully moved closer and knelt beside his fiancée, swallowing dryly and saying a silent prayer, begging God for help and wisdom, knowing this was one of the most important conversations he would ever have in his life.

"That's right, Sarah. I love your mother, so very much. And...I want to be your friend. I know you will always love your father – I promise, I won't ever try to make you forget him. I'm only asking for a chance...a chance to bring you and your mother happiness."

The little girl eyed him silently, allowing him to speak, as she never had before. "I want to marry your mom, and she wants to marry me," the Reverend continued. "I want to be your stepfather...and your friend...and like your mother said, take care of you as your father would if he were still here. And I promise you both – I will never do or say anything to hurt you, either of you, for as long as I live. Will you give me a chance?"

Breathing in with a sniffling shudder, Sarah nodded once, with a whispered, "I'll try."

In relief, the Reverend grinned his beautiful white smile, nodding, "Then that's all anyone could ask, honey."

As Sarah went into her mother's arms, Anna closed her eyes in relief, opening them to give a watery smile to the man she loved as he watched in relieved joy, reaching to bring one of her hands to his lips in a reverent kiss.

OOOOOOOO

That night Michaela and Sully lay together in bed, as close as they could, just happy to be together.

Michaela snuggled closer, pressing a kiss to Sully's collarbone as the fingers of her right hand caressed the hair on his chest. Each one smiled lovingly as they felt the movements of their child adjusting to the slight pressure from outside its familiar cocoon.

Just then, the moonlight reflected off the shiny inset on Sully's bracelet as he moved his arm.

"The bracelet looks so good on you...as I knew it would," Michaela murmured as she ran her hand over the cool metal and warm leather of her gift, images of it on her husband's wrist during the day fleeting across her mind.

"Yeah it does. I don't wanna ever take it off...did I tell ya how much I love it?" he murmured, gazing into her eyes as she tilted her head back a bit and grinned at him.

"Perhaps once or twice...but I shall never tired of hearing it," she teased.

"Okay...I love it...and I love _you_ for gettin' it for me," he whispered, leaning in for a slow, sweet kiss.

"You're most welcome," she whispered back, resettling against his side and shifting a little when the baby protested by pushing against her ribs.

"I love my new pillow, by the way," she murmured, moving her arm back and caressing the soft creation. "I can't wait to snuggle into it."

"I hope it helps ya sleep...I been worried about ya lately, tossin' and turnin'..." Sully confided.

"I'm sorry I've kept you awake..." she immediately responded, biting her lip as she glanced up at him.

"Don't worry about me," he quickly reassured, "And besides, I ain't exactly been here through the night much..."

"Yes...don't remind me," she fussed, only half joking. "Oh...I've been meaning to tell you – Connie and William had their baby," Michaela told him softly.

"Oh yeah?" he responded with a grin. "What'd they have?"

"A little girl...six pounds eleven ounces. They named her Brittany Wilhelmina."

"You're _kiddin'_!" Sully burst out, turning to peer at her face in the moonlight to see if she was teasing.

"No, I'm afraid not. Brittany because they both like the name...and Wilhelmina as a way of naming her after William."

"Poor kid," Sully murmured, squeezing his wife against his side and absently caressing her arm as it lay across his chest.

"We still set on names?" he asked after awhile.

"I haven't changed my mind...have you?" she asked curiously, leaning back a bit to watch his expression. "Katherine Elizabeth if it's a girl – after your mother and mine...and Robert Josef if it's a boy – after Robert and my father."

"I ain't changed my mind...just checkin'," Sully answered, turning to catch her lips in a kiss, in truth a little afraid that William and Connie's idea would have made her want to name the baby after _him_ – even a girl – some concoction like...Byronette or something.

"So, you talked to William?"

"No, actually, Rebecca told me."

"Becca?"

"Yes...she had been up at the hospital to visit a friend who just had a baby and she ran into William in the nursery wing. She, um..." Michaela paused.

"Um...what?" Sully probed softly, wondering why she hesitated.

"She told me that Robert called you last week...after I confided in her about finding that perfumed envelope...and found out what you were really doing – and that you swore him to secrecy."

"So that's what that call was really about? Checkin' up on me?" Sully asked, slightly affronted.

"I'm sorry Sully...they were only looking out for my best interests...they, well, they were with me through the whole six years with David and..." she paused as he gently interrupted.

"I know...I was just jokin'. Was just a little surprised is all, Robert played it so cool on the phone – I never thought he suspected me of _cheatin'_ on ya."

"Truthfully, I don't think he really did suspect you. He just wanted something concrete to tell Becca so she would stop worrying," Michaela returned softly.

"And neither one told you?"

"No! But oh, I wish they had!" Michaela lamented, remembering her week of misery.

"But...are ya glad now about your surprise?" he asked softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Oh Sully...it was absolutely the most wonderful, magical, romantic Valentine's evening any woman could ever wish for," she vowed dreamily. "I love you so much for all of the work you did, the planning, the thought that went into it...and the gifts...thank you, sweetheart."

"You're welcome," he whispered with a pleased smile, pressing a warm kiss to her lips.

"Nothin's too much for my sweet 'Chaela," he added, their kiss deepening until neither could ignore their rising passions.

With gentle and practiced ease, the enamored lovers spent the next little while reaffirming their connection – proving once again that the remarkable love of their ancestors lived on within their union.


	23. Decisions, Decisions

**CHAPTER 23 – Decisions, Decisions**

"Will ya, Dorothy?" Horace asked as he held tight to Myra's hand, his large, liquid brown eyes trained on the older woman expectantly, eyebrows raised, a comical look on his big face as he waited for her answer. Myra gazed at the other woman with a hopeful expression as well, her lip between her teeth.

The amused newspaperwoman glanced over at Loren, who stood behind the register, regarding the proceedings with interest.

"_Please_ Dorothy? Horace said you did such a wonderful job arranging Dr. Mike and Sully's wedding – we don't want anyone else to do ours but you!" Myra added her voice to the pleading.

"Well...I don't know..." the woman began, only to be interrupted by another impassioned plea from Horace. "Aw Dorothy, you just gotta. Me and Myra...we want our weddin' to be nice – but we don't know nothin' about arrangin' and plannin' and all the stuff you gotta do. I ain't got no family...she don't either. And...it was just amazin' what you did for Dr. Mike and Sully..."

"Horace, that wasn't all my doin' and you know it," Dorothy argued softly. "You know Elizabeth Quinn had a hand in just about everythin'..."

"Please Miss Dorothy?" Horace tried again. "We _need_ ya."

Unable to rebuff the sweet, homely face of her friend, nor the beautiful and guileless face of his fiancée, Dorothy finally smiled and relented, reaching out to lay a hand on Horace's arm.

"Alright you two...come by the shop later and we'll talk about your plans, alright?"

"Oh thank you, Dorothy! Thank you!" Horace gushed, grabbing Myra in an awkward hug and then spontaneously engulfing Dorothy in a hug as well. The excited pair then made their way out the door, giggling like teenagers.

Watching for a moment the pair backing out of their parking space, Dorothy turned and looked at Loren, shaking her head with a smile.

"You know...I've been thinkin' seriously about startin' a weddin' plannin' business. I think I did do pretty good with Michaela and Sully's weddin'. It might be a good way to make some extra money."

"Well...I 'spose so," Loren agreed, watching her face closely, fascinated by every nuance of emotion and concentration he saw there as she stood fingering an item on the counter, deep in thought about what she would need to do to launch such an enterprise.

"Yes...yes I think I will. And I'm gonna start with Horace and Myra," she declared.

Suddenly making up his mind, Loren cleared his throat, and decided to go for broke before he lost his nerve.

"Sounds good...but how about...practicin' on _us_?" he asked softly, waiting for the wheels in her mind to stop turning long enough for her to register what he had just asked.

Finally, he saw her eyes grow large and she turned to him, startled.

"Loren Bray...what did you just say?"

Impulsively, Loren untied his shopkeeper apron and flung it down on the counter, making his way around to his startled lady friend. Her eyes narrowed as she watched his every move.

Loren took her hand in his and gazed into her shocked blue eyes, watching as she moistened dry lips. His loving eyes saw her through the filter of his heart as he perused her face – not seeing the lines at the corners of her eyes that years of misery had brought, or the trace of gray peeking out of the once fiery red locks, now softened to a gentle auburn and arranged in gentle waves, becomingly framing her face and neck. He noticed only the smooth peaches and cream skin of her cheeks and the soft lips he always considered the most kissable in the universe. To him, she was and always would be the young lady who stole his heart and held it firm in the palm of her hand, never letting it go.

"Dorothy Jennings...I asked you once, a long time ago..." he began carefully.

"Loren..." she tried to softly interrupt.

"...But I'll never ask you again. Just... promise me you won't go answerin' right off until you've had time to sleep on it."

Searching his eyes, Dorothy swallowed dryly and gave a nod, murmuring, "All right," as she braced herself for what she knew was about to happen.

Going down on one knee, and taking her hand in his, he gazed up at her, his eyes glimmering with emotion. She allowed her eyes to run over his soft silver hair, which framed the upper half of his face in a becoming style, and the lines across his forehead, put there by years of unhappiness and worry. She noticed his face was smooth and clean-shaven, the skin only slightly loosened by time. Finally, her eyes met his, and the seriousness conveyed there made her breath catch.

"Nobody's ever gonna love you as much as I do...always have," he murmured just above a whisper, holding her eyes with the sheer force of emotion in his. "And there's nothin' I want in this _life_... more than to _see you happy_." At her silence and rapt attention, he moistened his lips, encouraged, and continued softly, "I promise to take good care 'a you. Dorothy... I want you to marry me," he finished with a small, hopeful smile, almost with little boy eagerness.

Speechless, Dorothy could only blink her eyes as she took in this unexpected declaration, watching as if in slow motion as he rose from his knees, gently framed her face in his hands, and leaned in to touch his lips to hers, shuddering with emotion.

Though they had been 'going out together' for several months, they had shared only tiny 'pecks' or kisses on the cheek. This time, an unexpected, tiny spark flared within her as their lips touched. Hazily, Dorothy registered the subtle aftershave he was wearing and the pleasant taste of mint as he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss. He hadn't kissed her like this in over thirty-five years, and she was surprised to find herself enjoying his intimate attentions – much more than she had the first time he had proposed – awkwardly stumbling over his words in an impromptu moment on the back porch of her family home. A soft sigh of pleasure escaped her as she acquiesced.

After a full minute of greedily exploring each other's mouths, he pulled back and searched her eyes, his shining with hopeful anticipation. She blinked again, striving to gather her thoughts into some semblance of order.

"Loren..." she whispered.

"Don't say anything now...just think on it," he whispered, reaching for one of her hands and slowly bringing it up to his lips, pressing a reverent kiss to her fingers. "But...don't take too long," he added seriously, adding with a teasing twinkle, "Or I might move on to greener pastures."

Just then, the door opened with a jingle of the bell, and they separated self-consciously. Dorothy turned toward the first row of shelves, unconsciously drawing a hand up to touch her lips, still feeling the sparks.

Loren cleared his throat and turned to greet the customer with a pasted on smile, in truth wanting to throttle the man for his untimely interruption.

OOOOOOO

Finished with the chores, Sully let himself in the front door, glancing around at the neat, quiet interior of his home. At nearly lunchtime, he had expected Michaela to be moving around in the kitchen preparing something to eat. _Maybe she's still nappin'_ he thought with a smile. The past week, she had found herself in need of a short nap during the day, her back and leg muscles needing the rest after carrying around an extra twenty pounds.

Quietly, he crept up the staircase, dodging with practiced ease the steps that squeaked. Their bedroom door was shut. _Mmm hmm, she's in there, _he mused lovingly. Silently moving to the door, his eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head close to the thick wood. Did he hear music? She didn't normally have music playing when she wanted a nap. But he could definitely hear the sound of soft music, and just then he caught what he thought was her voice softly humming along.

Curious, he put his hand on the knob and turned it silently, pushing it open just a crack. He could see the bed – and the fact that she wasn't in it – although the covers were mussed, so she had been. Then he saw shadowy movement to the right. Pushing the door carefully open a little more, a slow smile came to his lips as he saw what his precious wife was doing.

She was standing in front of her vanity mirror, 'posing', with her light blue maternity t-shirt folded up over top of her bra, and her maternity pants folded down, exposing all of her belly. As the soft music played, she turned this way and that, hands on her hips, as if 'showing' her belly to another person. Intrigued, he pushed in just a tad more – and saw that she had the camcorder propped next to the mirror, just then reaching out and adjusting its angle.

He heard her hum again, a totally happy, content hum that warmed his heart clear through. He wondered what it was she was doing. As he watched, unconsciously holding his breath in fear that she would catch him, he saw her take a tape measure from the vanity and loop it around the largest part of her belly, and then lean closer to the camera to 'show' the lens the measurement.

_Is she documenting the pregnancy? _He smiled again, thinking this was something his Michaela, so meticulous with 'record keeping,' would surely do. As he watched, she put down the tape and turned this way and that again, lovingly caressing the round ball of her protruding belly. Then, her hands stopped at the center, and in the mirror he could see she was making a 'heart' over the baby with her fingers. His eyes pricked with tears at the breathtaking sweetness of the action.

Once more she stepped back, turning side to side as her long beautiful hair swished softly, a large grin on her beautiful face. Then once more she stepped close to the camera, her fingers pointing out the dark line running from belly button all the way down – the 'linea nigra' she had called it - that they had noticed several nights before as he had lovingly helped her apply her stretch mark cream.

Finished, she switched off the recorder and turned, freezing as she saw her husband leaning against the jam in the now open doorway, his face plastered with his full dimpled grin.

She immediately blushed red at being caught filming her private 'diary' as he softly murmured, "Whatcha doin'?"

Watching his lovingly amused expression as his eyes swept down her half-exposed body, she drew her lip between her teeth and quickly straightened her clothes, wondering what he was thinking. Ignoring his question for a moment, she countered softly, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Just a few minutes," he answered softly.

"Mmm," she murmured.

Their eyes met, his still amused as she self-consciously reached up to 'straighten' her hair.

"...Well?" he asked.

"Well, what?"

"Ya gonna tell me?"

Turning aside to remake the bed from her nap, she murmured, "What was it you said to me recently? Something about having a right to a little privacy...same as _me_?"

Not willing to let her off the hook so easily, and in truth a tiny bit hurt that she was excluding him, he moved near as she bent slightly over the bed, slipping his arms around her from behind and stilling her movements. They straightened up together slowly and she slipped her hands over his arms in a loving caress.

"Why don't ya wanna tell me? I thought we weren't supposed to keep secrets from each other," he gently insisted, only partly teasing.

Her mouth dropped open in amused surprise, and she turned her head a little toward his face. "Oh really? And what were you doing the entire week before Valentines?"

He grinned, knowing she wasn't still hurt or angry. "That was different and you know it."

As she continued to gaze at him over her shoulder, he turned her in his arms, leaning in for a gently firm kiss before whispering against her lips, "Please?"

Pulling back and searching his eyes for a moment, she gave a tiny shrug and directed her gaze to the front of his shirt as she murmured softly, "If you must know...I'm documenting the baby's growth, like a video scrapbook, once a week."

"How long ya been doin' that?" he asked, watching her face.

She shrugged again, wondering why this was making her feel so self-conscious, and realizing she was waiting for him to laugh at her or make fun.

"Since the week we found out I was pregnant."

"But, how come you didn't tell me?"

"I don't know...I thought you would think it was...silly."

He shook his head, smiling down at her lovingly and met her eyes as she hesitantly raised her head. "I think it's sweet...and beautiful - like you're already keepin' a 'baby book' even before it's born."

She gazed up at him, her lips pulling into the half grin he loved so much.

"What gave ya the idea?" he probed, leaning in to brush his lips against hers again.

Seeing that he seemed to like the idea, she warmed up to the subject, smiling, her eyes twinkling happily. "I saw a video on Youtube where a woman did just that, and it appealed to me so much – to have a visual record of the baby – that I immediately began doing it."

"Can I see the videos?" he asked softly, bringing up a hand to lightly brush a finger against the creamy skin of her cheek.

"If you want to," she murmured, leaning into his hand and cuddling against it, a bit like a contented cat.

He grinned again, whispering, "I want to."

"All right," she answered, stepping out of his arms and grasping his hand, pulling him across the hall to the girl's room.

Sitting at the computer, she signed on and quickly went to her Youtube channel, the background of which was a picture Rebecca had taken of them together at Christmas, Sully standing behind her with his hands lovingly holding her stomach – huge grins on both their faces.

"Cute," he murmured, grinning and winking at her when she smilingly glanced his way.

"Has Rebecca seen the videos?" he wondered.

"Mmm hmm. And Marjorie, my Mother...Snowbird..."

Fifteen videos had already been uploaded. Performing a quick calculation in his head, he asked, "Fifteen? One's missin'?"

"...Christmas," she answered hesitantly. He blanched visibly, whispering, "Oh."

Meeting one another's eyes, unspoken words were exchanged as each remembered the harrowing incident at the airport, and the ragged gash that took weeks to totally heal. He thought about how it looked now – just a faint pink line, barely visible anymore.

For the next little while, Sully sat before the computer with Michaela perched on his lap, viewing video after video in fascinated wonder as he watched his wonderful wife's belly steadily growing with his child nestled inside.

OOOOOOOO

"Well, they're not broken. Just badly sprained. How did you _do_ this, Dorothy?" Michaela inquired softly as she splinted and wrapped the first two fingers on her friend's right hand.

"Not watchin' what I was doin'. I shut my own hand in the car door," the other woman responded self-deprecatingly, wincing as she watched her physician friend work.

She looked away, her eyes focused on nothing as Michaela continued her ministrations.

After a few minutes, Michaela glanced at her friend's face, noticing the faraway expression.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind..." she hinted.

Dorothy brought her thoughts back to the present and glanced at her friend. "Yes...I suppose I do."

As she finished tearing off the last round of medical tape, Michaela offered, "Want to talk about it?"

The older woman drew in a large breath, releasing it in a sigh. Glancing again at her friend's face, she offered, "Horace and Myra asked me to coordinate their weddin'."

"That's wonderful!" Michaela responded, moving to lean against the exam table next to her friend. "I'm so happy for Horace – well, for both of them. They seem to be very much in love."

"Yes, indeed," Dorothy agreed. "And...I've decided to start a weddin' plannin' business."

"Oh Dorothy, that's a marvelous idea. You definitely have a knack for it," Michaela returned with an encouraging smile. "You certainly took the pressure off of me when Sully and I were planning our wedding. You were wonderful, and we adored every idea. Of course...when Mother arrived and tried to take over..." she added with a half grin. Both women chuckled good-naturedly as memories of the 'Boston Powerhouse' floated through their minds.

When the laughter subsided, Dorothy waxed serious again. Glancing once more at Michaela, she murmured softly, "And...Loren asked me to marry him."

Having suspected this would eventually occur, Michaela was at once ready for it and yet a little surprised. Not knowing what exactly to say, judging by the look on Dorothy's face, she murmured a quiet, "Oh..."

Dorothy's eyes immediately snapped to her face. "Is that a 'I'm thrilled for my friend' oh? Or a 'I can't believe she's even thinkin' about it' oh?"

"It's...um...an 'I don't know what to say' oh." Michaela replied delicately, closely watching her friend's expression.

After a few moments, she asked softly, "Do you love him?"

"I...I'm not sure. I mean...I...do love him – all these years he's been my brother-in-law...and now...the man I'm _datin'_...but..." she faltered, searching for the right words to explain her complicated emotions.

"But...you don't think you're _in love_ with him," Michaela stated more than asked.

Dorothy nodded, then the nod changed to shaking her head. "I don't feel about him the way I felt about Marcus in the beginnin'..." she paused, adding with disgust, "and look how THAT turned out."

Michaela studied her friend's face, reaching out and gently grasping her good hand in emotional support. "Just take your time. Think things through...really try to listen to your heart."

Dorothy smirked at that, shrugging somewhat hopelessly. "Well, my heart betta not lie to me, 'cause if I turn 'im down now, I'm gonna lose 'im for good."

That thought made a shiver run through Dorothy's body, and she unconsciously shook her head against such a prospect as Michaela looked on with sympathetic understanding.

OOOOOOOOO

The little bell over the door tinkled, and Loren looked up with a smile, hoping it was Dorothy. His smile faded, but just a little, when he saw it was Sully.

"Hey Sully."

"Hey Loren. How've ya been?" the rancher asked as he moved down an aisle looking for several items.

"How've I been? Never better," the older man stated firmly, a jaunty grin on his face as he thought of earlier.

Sully noticed the tone of his voice and looked over at him across the top of one aisle. Seeing the grin on the other man's face, Sully's lips pulled up in his half grin and he murmured, "That right?"

"Mmm hmm," Loren answered, wiping the register counter with a rag.

Sully picked up a bottle of his shampoo and some sanitary items for the young 'women' in his household, and sauntered around the end of the aisle and over to the register.

Sizing up the other man, whose expression resembled a cat with canary feathers sticking out of its mouth, Sully snorted softly. "Wanna share?"

"Share what?" the other man returned innocently.

"Whatever it is that's got you all bug eyed."

Glancing around the empty store, Loren leaned toward his one time son-in-law and murmured confidentially, "I asked Dorothy ta marry me."

Sully's eyes widened. He knew the other man was and always had been head over heels for the feisty redhead, but he hadn't heard about _this_ development. Controlling his response, he murmured, "That right? What'd she say?"

Loren leaned back and puffed himself up to his full height, hooking his thumbs in the front pockets of his apron. "Told her not to say anythin' now, to think about it and let me know. But...just between you and me..." he added, eyebrows waggling.

"Yeah...?" Sully prompted, more than interested.

"Well...I'd say a woman returns your kisses like a house afire...it's a pretty dang good indication 'a what's on her mind," he confided with a rakish wink.

"A house afire, huh?" Sully asked, chuckling softly with the other man – man to man as Loren nodded knowingly with a soft, "Yeah."

"Yep, I'd say this time she's gonna say yes," Loren stated confidently.

"Well Loren, I hope she does. You two deserve some happiness. I'm glad for ya. You let me know..." he added, pointing one finger at the older man.

"Thanks, Sully. And you bet – you'll be the first...well second, to know," Loren grinned his full white smile, grasping Sully's items to ring up.

Glancing at the female items, he met the younger man's eyes and Sully just shrugged fatalistically, causing both men to erupt in harmonious chuckles.

OOOOOOOOO

The kids had gone to bed, dishes washed, the house put in order, and the fires stoked. Michaela and Sully lay entwined on the couch watching television.

Michaela lay curled on her side between her husband's legs, using one of them as a pillow for her belly. Sully smiled lovingly as he felt the baby move a little, pushing against his thigh.

"He's really movin' tonight," he murmured softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"He?" she teased with her half grin.

He nodded his head in acquiescence, murmuring, "Or she."

"Yes, he...or she...certainly is, and has been all day. After lunch, it felt like the baby was pushing both feet against my back," she added softly, grimacing as she remembered the discomfort.

He was instantly concerned. Tilting his head a little to one side to try and see her face, he murmured softly, "Is it now?"

"No, thankfully. Right now it just feels as if the baby is floating comfortably," she answered with a thankful smile, tilting her head to meet his eyes and receive a soft kiss.

"Good. You tell me if your back starts to hurt again, though, and I'll rub it good for ya."

"Thank you, sweetheart," she smiled lovingly, drawing one of his hands up to her lips for a cherishing kiss. "Your hands are worth a million dollars...they can do so many things...so well," she murmured, pressing more kisses to his fingers.

He chuckled. "So you've said. I say they're just hands."

She grinned at their play. "I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree on that score, hmm?"

"I 'spose."

Trying to focus her mind on the old movie they were watching, Michaela soon sighed softly, her eyes and thoughts focused away from the television screen. Sully immediately picked up on her non-interest.

"What'cha thinkin' about?" he murmured softly, raising his other hand to caress her smooth hair lying against her arm.

She smiled softly, loving how he always knew when she had things on her mind.

"Oh..." she paused, trying to remember if Dorothy had indicated her news was a secret. She hadn't.

"Dorothy told me today that...Loren proposed."

Sully's lips curved into his knowing smile. Remembering Loren glancing around the store to make sure they were alone when he confided in him, Sully asked innocently, "Think she'll say yes?"

"She's not sure. She says she doesn't love him the same way she loved Marcus in the beginning..."

Sully pursed his lips, thoughtful. "Well, there's all kinds 'a love. And besides, look how THAT turned out."

Michaela smiled and nodded. "That is what _she_ said, too. But...she wants...that _spark_ you feel when its right..." she paused, meeting his eyes. They both knew exactly what kind of spark she meant – they felt it so strongly for each other it could almost burn the house down at times.

Sully chuckled inwardly as he remembered Loren's description of Dorothy returning his kisses like a 'house afire'.

"...Don't she feel any sparks with Loren?" he probed carefully.

She tilted her head, scanning her memory of the conversation with Dorothy. "She didn't specifically say..."

Sully nodded. "Well...best to let _them_ sort it out."

"Yes, true," she agreed, sighing softly and snuggling contentedly in his arms.

"And...speakin' of sparks..." he murmured, gently tilting her head with a finger as he moved in for a soft kiss, his hand wandering down to gently fondle inside the neck of her shirt. Her response was immediate – tingles clear down to her toes.

"Mmm, Sully...what a kisser you are," she murmured as he maneuvered her body, his hand burrowing under the bottom edge of her shirt.

His eyes twinkled as they met hers, whispering, "Same to ya," as he recaptured her lips.

The heat between them flared instantly and before long, her hands were roaming through his hair, his clutching her to him, squeezing and caressing. Breathless with passion, their kisses waxed ever hotter and deeper.

Wolf and Keeso, asleep by the fire, both raised their heads as soft moans emanated from the region of the couch.

"_God_, I want you!" Sully breathed, his lips tasting the soft, sweet skin at the hollow of her neck. His words made her quiver.

"I want _you_," she gasped, her hands framing his face as she guided his mouth back to hers.

He kissed her deeply, their breathing reduced to ragged shudders. Finally unable to hold back, he rasped, "The couch or the bed?" but didn't wait for an answer, his hand already raising the edge of her shirt and searching for the waistband of her pants.

"Sully," she moaned, uncaring of where they were at that moment or who could conceivably come down the stairs. Her entire world consisting of what Sully was about to do to her – and how awesome it would feel...

Suddenly...his cell phone rang.

Too caught up in what they were doing, neither one realized it was ringing at first. But by the third ring, Sully broke their kiss with a groan.

"Nnnnoooo," Michaela groused, trying to grasp his hand and keep him from reaching to take the phone off his belt.

"_Stupid_ phone," he ground out as he laid his hand on it.

"Let it go to voicemail," she begged, but too late, he had already answered it.

Biting her lip, Michaela let her head drop back, striving to dial herself back down. She could hear the dispatcher's voice, and she shook her head once, trying not to 'hate' the woman for always taking her husband away from her – at the most inopportune times.

Drawing in a big breath, Sully released it in a huff, murmuring, "Gold Nugget. '99 Camaro. Got it. Be there in a few."

Michaela sighed. _Gold Nugget Sports Bar_, she thought disgustedly. Known for their 'beer pong', poker nights, cheap drinks, and waitresses in outfits so skimpy they were barely clothed. Matter of fact, one of those waitresses had flirted shamelessly with Sully several weeks back when her own car had failed to start and he had arrived to help. _What was her name...Erma? No Emma?_ Michaela remembered Sully relating the incident to her – and her feelings of possessive jealousy as she had pictured the buxom woman brazenly rubbing her chest on Sully's back as he leaned over the open hood of her car.

The place was all the way across town, forty minutes from their home. That meant her husband would be gone at least ninety minutes or more for that one run.

He pushed the disconnect button and leaned his head as his lips curved into a pout, his eyes meeting hers.

Overcome with roiling emotions, she burst out, "I _hate_ this moonlighting job! Sully...why..." she stammered to a stop, knowing it would be no use to argue. She huffed out a disgusted sigh.

"I'm sorry, babe..." he muttered with superhuman restraint, regrettably disengaging himself from her arms and beginning to rise from the couch.

Michaela clamped her mouth shut, swallowing the heated words she dearly wished to fling at him. This temporary little job to just get back the emergency money had now been stretched to last until 'sometime before the baby gets here' – and Michaela felt rising anger that he would continue to be gone from the house at night as she got further along.

If her wonderful husband had one flaw, it was his rock solid stubbornness and pride when it came to money. She knew it was always at the back of his mind that he needed to 'pull his own weight', and that his less-than-opulent upbringing made him somehow inferior to her wealthy family. He seemed so fearful that she would feel the need to ask her family to help them out.

She tried to reason with herself – at least he was gone from her at night in an activity that helped provide for their family – at least he wasn't one of the 'patrons' at the bar he was heading to.

Leaning to give her a quick kiss, Sully clamped his teeth at the look in her eyes. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he murmured softly. Thoroughly hating that they had been interrupted at such a time, he crossed the room to get his florescent-striped work jacket, slipping into it before heading out the door.

Michaela swallowed again, fighting the urge to scream in frustration as she heard the rollback's engine fire up.

After a few minutes, she sat up on the couch, glancing down at her disheveled clothing with a disappointed sigh, and levered herself up. Switching off the television, she slowly made her way to the stairs, but changed her mind, heading instead for the bathroom, with the intention of taking a nice, long, hot shower to try to relax and diffuse before heading up to bed.

_Another night of trying to get comfortable in a cold, lonely bed_, she groused silently.

OOOOOOOO

Sully drove down Hanover, shivering slightly in the cold cab of the rollback as he bitterly regretted having to tear himself away from his wife's arms and the warm, cozy confines of the house just to help out some drunk who couldn't get his car started.

The disappointed and downright angry look in Michaela's eyes as he had kissed her goodbye seemed burned in his memory, and for perhaps the first time since this 'moonlighting' venture started, he seriously wondered if it was truly worth the aggravation and effort.

Staring at the road, lips pursed in concentration, he analyzed his actions, ashamedly admitting to himself that what started out as a means to provide for his family had turned into some sort of macho contest with himself. An '_I'm gonna keep doin' this no matter how hard it gets – it ain't gonna beat me,' _mentality. He had already put almost a thousand dollars in the hidden box, nearly doubling what they had before the furnace went out.

_How much more do I need? Is all this worth takin' a chance on damaging me and Chaela's relationship? Is it worth me bein' gone at night and takin' a chance on somethin' happenin' when I'm not there?_

As he chewed on this, his cell rang and he sighed, taking it out of the clip on his belt and gazing at the screen.

"Yeah?" he answered a trifle shortly.

As he listened, things suddenly became clear in his mind. He made his decision.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela dropped the last piece of her clothing on the bathroom floor, quickly tied up her hair, and padded barefoot across the cool Terre Cotta tile into the shower area, reaching to turn one showerhead on and allow the hot steam to begin to fill the large stall.

Testing the water with her fingers, she adjusted the temperature and then slipped under the rain-like spray, allowing the water to spill down her front. Placing her hands on her lower back in the classic 'pregnancy' stance, she arched back, a moan of pleasure escaping her lips. Rotating a slow half turn, she allowed the hot liquid to cascade down her shoulders and back, the heat beginning to alleviate a twinge in her right hip.

_Almost feels as good as one of Sully's massages, _she mused wryly, but then checked that thought. _Nothing_ felt as good as Sully's hands on her body, massaging, caressing, touching... _fondling_, her mind added dreamily, as their moments together from a few minutes before came flooding back. _Oh, why did that phone have to ring?_

Turning, she reached for the bottle of shower gel...their favorite, _Twilight Woods, _pouring a generous amount in one hand and slowly slathering it onto her wet torso. Keeping her eyes closed, she smoothed the fragrant suds over her creamy skin, allowing her hands to follow the contours of her body, fervently wishing they were Sully's hands.

_Sully_. Just the thought of his name sent those familiar tingles zipping once again through her body. _I'm so in love with him...he consumes my thoughts, _she mused, breathing in the heady fragrance from the gel, magnified in the comforting steam.

Continuing to allow the cascading water to relax her back and hip, Michaela allowed her mind to wander, thinking of her gorgeous husband in all his magnificence. The sparkling, vivid blue eyes...the smooth, tanned skin... the firm muscles... the sculpted physique, especially naked and _aroused_... the deep masculine voice murmuring sensual 'sweet nothings' in her ear as his hands roamed over the familiar territory of her body. Smiling softly as her hands encircled the precious creation they had made together, she allowed her mind to relive in minute detail those moments together in the teepee when their child had been conceived...

Eyes still shut, she turned, allowing the water to rinse the fragrant suds from her smooth skin. Arching her head back and breathing deeply, her hands again lovingly caressed the roundness of her belly as she lamented the fact that her husband had once again been called away. _Sully...I'm thinking about you..._she mused with a dreamy smile, hoping he could sense her thoughts as he drove along in the cold cab of the truck.

Slowly, however, her skin began to tingle with awareness and her heart sped up a notch as her consciousness felt his presence. Or was it her imagination and longing? Bringing her hands up to shield herself shyly, her eyes opened – and her breath caught at the sight of her husband lounging nonchalantly against the tiled wall just inside the shower doorway...naked... obviously aroused...and gazing at her with a knowing smile.

Instantly wondering how long he'd been watching her, she felt her face pinken, and not just from the steam.

As their eyes met, sparks exploded within each and for a moment neither moved, their gazes speaking volumes to the other's soul and emotions. Then, Sully pushed himself off the wall and sauntered toward her, their eyes never losing firm contact. Speechless and breathless, Michaela stood rooted in place, rivulets of water cascading down her body, helpless to turn away from the spell cast by his riveting stare.

When he reached her, and stepped smoothly into the path of the water, droplets instantly began to soak his hair and trickle down his cheeks, his lips, and his chin, as he reached up to ever so gently touch her face, smoothing damp tendrils of her hair back from her temple.

Neither said a word, just gazed longingly, emotively, into the beloved eyes of their soul mate. No words were necessary, their feelings and thoughts displayed across the canvas of their faces as if written in perfect prose.

Finally Michaela, lips parted longingly, murmured, "...You came back?"

He smiled softly, eyes sparkling, eyelashes dotted with tiny water droplets. "Run got canceled."

"Oh..." she answered, spellbound.

He moved his hand around to the back of her neck, slowly drawing her face toward his as their eyes drifted shut, wet lips merging sensuously. His other arm wound around her moist shoulders and back, pressing her into his hard body as he reveled in the erotic feeling of wet, firm mounds...and aroused peaks.

Michaela drew in a shuddering breath of pure desire as her mouth opened to his, skin tingling as she moved against the delicious coarseness of her husband's manly chest.

Devouring her mouth in a breathless kiss, he moaned as she slipped her arms around his now wet body, gripping him tightly and kissing him back with escalating passion.

Eventually breaking their kiss, his open mouth traveled down her skin, suckling droplets of water from smooth wet, delicious warmth. Her head fell helplessly back as her hands rose without conscious thought, her fingers entwining in his soft, wet hair.

She managed to gasp, "What if you get another run?"

He grinned his half smile against the swell of her breasts - enticingly larger due to her pregnancy - his hands rising to cup and caress as he continued his irresistible seduction, murmuring, "Told 'em to take me off the list tonight."

Michaela grinned delightedly as her husband leaned back and met her eyes again, smiling sensually as he whispered, "And tomorrow – I'm gonna tell 'em I'm quittin'."

Grabbing the bottle of shower gel with a waggle of his eyebrows, he took her by the hand and tugged her gently across to the infamous shaving bench. She followed with a dreamy half grin, relishing his news and anticipating another session of them being together... wet... naked... and _soapy_.

For the next little while, they each reveled in decisions made and wishes granted.

OOOOOOOOO

Loren walked Dorothy up to her door, pausing and leaning in for a goodnight kiss. Dorothy returned his kiss, though she pulled back a bit when he began to advance.

"Goodnight, Loren," she stated firmly, raising a hand to his chest. "I had a wonderful time, as usual," she added softly.

Pausing as he gazed into her eyes, he seemed about to say something, but changed his mind and shrugged with a grin, murmuring, "G'night Dorothy." He lifted one of her hands and pressed a lingering kiss to her fingers before turning and strolling down the walk to the car, whistling as he went.

She watched until his car's headlights were aimed down the road, then turned and made her way inside. Sighing, she slowly disrobed, changed for bed, and settled under the covers for what she knew would be a fitful sleep, her need to make a decision regarding the rest of her life weighing heavily on her mind.

Loren had been extremely attentive all evening, ever the gallant gentleman. He had helped her with her coat, held her chair to seat her, gazed at her lovingly, and was generally beside himself with effervescent charm... but it was all a little too much. She just couldn't think objectively with him watching her every expression.

Finally, she had told him she had a headache and would he take her home.

Now, in the quiet of the darkened apartment, she drew in a deep breath, trying to relax her mind and body.

"Lord, help me know what to do...help me make the right decision," she prayed in a whisper.

OOOOOOOOO

Walking up to the front doors of Loren's store, Dorothy reached for the handle and paused, steeling herself for having to face Loren again so soon, since she had not yet made her decision. Perhaps she should have gone to another store for her needed items, but she was here now, so she might as well make the best of it. She turned the handle and entered.

Not seeing him anywhere, she took a few steps inside and then stopped short, her hands flying to cover her mouth, squeaking, "Loren!" as she came upon him sprawled on the floor next to the register.

"Oh my God!" she cried, rushing to kneel by his side. Her hands shaking, she reached out and felt of his neck, greatly relieved to detect a pulse. Quivering in fear, she stood up and grabbed the phone on the register counter, shakily dialing the number to Michaela's clinic. After a few rings, Sully picked up the phone at the homestead when it automatically switched, having seen who it was on the caller ID.

Within a few minutes, Sully, Michaela, and Robert E., who had come over from next door, were on their knees next to the stricken man, trying to determine their next course of action.

Michaela, her face pained, knowing that in situations like this, seconds counted, immediately turned to her husband.

"Sully, call an ambulance," she softly instructed, watching as her husband jumped to his feet to quickly make the call which would transport their friend – and their children's grandfather – to the hospital.

xxx

Hours later, Dorothy sat by Loren's hospital bed, holding his hand and watching his face as various monitors beeped nearby.

Everyone was gone now, having paid their respects, but because the shopkeeper had been placed in ICU, only two visitors were allowed in at one time.

The doctors had determined Loren had suffered a massive stroke. They had gently informed her that he would most likely be paralyzed on one side, unable to talk, and possibly even his memory would be affected. That is – if he lived through the night.

As she sat there by his side, holding the hand that had so lovingly framed her face before their kiss after his proposal...the hand that had held hers so gallantly the night before as he had raised it to his lips for a kiss... silent tears once again began to make their way down her face.

Realization had dawned...she had taken him for granted. For months, she had taken his attention and affection for granted...for years she had taken _him_ for granted.

Sitting there gazing at him through the haze of tears, she realized that somehow over the course of time, she had fallen in love with Loren Bray. It had come upon her slowly, without her even realizing it was happening. But it had. She felt it now. Love. And a burning desire to tell him so.

"Oh Loren...wake up, please..." she whispered, wiping at the tears on her face and then reaching to touch his cheek with the backs of her fingers. "Wake up, sweetheart. Open your eyes. I...I'm sayin' yes, Loren. Yes...I'll marry you."

Just then, his heart monitor began to make an unpleasantly loud tone, lights blinking on the screen above his bed.

"What's happening?" she asked out loud, confused and scared.

Within moments, doctors and nurses came rushing into the room, one of them proceeding to guide her to the door none-too-gently and push her outside.

"But...is he _all right_?" she squeaked, trying in vain to grasp the woman's hand.

"We'll let you know in a moment," the nurse replied before disappearing inside.

Alone in the hallway, Dorothy could only pace and weep, praying with all her might for Loren to be all right. Minutes went by that seemed like hours, and then the door to his room opened, a solemn-faced doctor emerging.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Jennings...but your friend didn't make it..." he murmured caringly.

Dorothy gasped in shock, and then screamed in emotional agony, sinking to her knees as her legs gave way. Why did this happen? Why? Oh, all that wasted time! She had just realized she loved Loren, only to have him ripped from her arms moments later.

"NO! LOREN!" she screamed again and then gasped...slowly coming to realize she was sitting up in her bed, pink satin pajamas damp with perspiration, tears coursing down her face. Raising a hand slowly, she pressed it to her mouth and nose, gulping in air through her tears as she strove to calm herself, and slow her breathing and heart rate back down.

A dream. It had all been a _dream_. A horribly realistic nightmare.

Swallowing, she took a shuddering breath, climbing out of bed and making her way to the bathroom to hastily gulp down a glass of water.

Minutes later, standing there in her lonely apartment, staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, she took a deep breath and pressed her lips together, no longer one bit uncertain of her future.

The nightmare had actually been a gift from above. It had cleared every cobweb from her mind.

She made her decision.

First thing in the morning, she would tell Loren she accepted his proposal.


	24. The Scent of a Bumble Bee

**CHAPTER 24 – The Scent of a Bumble Bee**

Saturday dawned bright, clear, and unseasonably warm.

As the family sat together chatting at the kitchen table during breakfast, the phone rang. Matthew, sitting closest to it, leaned back in his chair and grabbed it off its cradle.

"Hello?"

"Hey Matthew. How's everything in the Sully world?" Robert E.'s cheerful voice greeted him.

Matthew chuckled at their friend, meeting eyes with his father. "Everything's great, Robert E. How're you guys doin'?"

"Aw, fine, fine. If things got any better, I wouldn't be able ta stand it," the man chuckled.

"I hear ya," Matthew agreed with a grin.

"Your Dad around?"

"Yep, he's right here," the young man returned, reaching to hand the phone to Sully.

"Hey, Robert E. What's up?" Sully asked into the phone as Michaela held the coffee pot over his cup, eyebrows raised. He shook his head, whispering, "No thanks," in response to her silent offer of more coffee.

"Hey Sully. I just saw the weather forecast, and it's supposed to get in the fifties today, with nearly zero humidity. I'm figurin' it'd be a perfect day to shoot the Cami. You got other plans?"

"Nah, not really. Sounds great," the rancher responded, his eyes meeting Michaela's as she settled back down in her chair, adjusting her position to accommodate her rather large middle.

"Okay, come on over soon as you can. I'll be gettin' the shop ready."

Sully glanced at his watch. "Be there by ten," he returned, the two men ringing off.

"What's happening?" Michaela asked curiously, unable to miss the excited sparkles in her husband's magnificent eyes.

"Robert E. says today's gonna be perfect weather for paintin' the El Camino," he explained, casually reaching for her hand. Their fingers touching instantly reminded them both of the sensuous moments together in the shower the night before, prompting Sully to wink at his wife in private communication. She grinned back at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking about, as if she could see images displayed in his eyes.

"Wow, you guys are gonna paint the El Camino today?" Brian exclaimed, immediately rising to his knees on his chair in barely controlled excitement.

"Yep, looks like it, son," Sully answered, reaching to ruffle his son's blond hair.

"Can I watch? I can't believe you're finally going to paint it!" Hannah exclaimed, leaning toward her father eagerly.

"Me too!" Colleen and Brian chimed in simultaneously.

Sully laughed and glanced again at his wife. "How about all of us goin'? It could be a family day."

"Well...I'm not sure..." Michaela hesitated, glancing down and giving her belly a protective caress.

"Aw, don't worry. You won't get anywhere near the overspray or the fumes. You'll all stay in the office and watch through the glass."

At her hesitation, he pushed a little more, "You ever seen a car bein' painted?"

"...No..." she admitted, thinking she had been waiting to see the car actually look pretty since he showed it to her on their first date.

"C'mon Mom, it'll be fun," Matthew chimed in to strengthen his father's plea.

"Yeah Mom, you don't want to stay here all by yourself, do ya?" Brian asked sweetly, innocent blue eyes gazing at her expectantly.

Shifting her gaze from one pair of pleading eyes to the next, Michaela shook her head and chuckled softly. "All right. But Saturday chores must be completed, also," she reminded them with an upraised eyebrow.

"Yes ma'am," the younger ones chorused, immediately rising to take their plates to the dishwasher and dash toward the stairs to gather the laundry and straighten their rooms.

Turning her gaze from them back to her husband, Michaela grinned as he wiggled his eyebrows and whispered, "Yes ma'am," before leaning near for a warm kiss. "I love it when you get _bossy_," he teased softly into her ear, knowing she would know he was referring to a risqué comment from the night before, and laughingly ducked out of her reach as she swatted at his behind with a dishtowel.

OOOOOOOO

An apron-clad Loren stood on the ladder, on the highest step possible to still be safe, and grunted as he stretched to replace a bulb in a ceiling light fixture. Alone in the store, his mind continually wandered to the redhead that consumed ninety-eight percent of his waking thoughts, and most of his dreams.

Turning the new bulb in the socket, he sighed as he absentmindedly worked, thinking about their leisurely dinner of the night before...how beautiful she had looked in the firelight at the restaurant, wearing a fetching purple outfit, her wavy, red/auburn hair held back with a comb on one side.

"Man I wish I knew what's goin' through her mind right now," he whispered to himself, heaving a sigh. _I told her not to take too long in deciding...but maybe I shoulda let her have more time to think about it..._ he mused, pursing his lips in thought. _I could send her flowers today...maybe if..._

His musings were interrupted just then by the tinkle of the bell over the door announcing a customer had entered.

"Be right with ya," he responded automatically, before he even turned to see who it was. As he did, he gave an involuntary gasp.

There she stood, just inside the door, her hands behind her back, gazing up at him with a small, alluring grin and a twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes. Neither spoke. It was so quiet in the store, you could hear a pin drop. Loren could hear the ticking of a clock on a wall nearby, his heart pounding with anticipation as he stared down at her helplessly.

As he watched, spellbound, she locked the door behind her, switched off the electric 'open' sign, and closed the blinds, before slowly sauntering toward him, never breaking eye contact.

Profoundly nervous, he slowly descended the ladder, his hands shaking as he fumbled with the ties on the back of his apron and hastily tossed it aside.

"Dorothy?" he asked softly when she reached him, raising his eyebrows and giving an encouraging nod like a little boy asking for candy.

"Ask me again, Loren," she purred throatily, reminding him of a contented feline.

He swallowed, fervently hoping this wasn't a dream. Clearing his throat, he reached into his pants' pocket and withdrew a small jeweler's box. Opening it, he took out a sparkling engagement ring with a substantial diamond, tossed the box aside, gently took her left hand in his, and once again went down on one knee, touching the ring to the tip of her finger.

"Dorothy Jennings..." he murmured, every ounce of love and sincerity in his heart shining in his eyes. "I've loved you since the first time I laid eyes on ya. I'll love ya till my last breath...and I'll do everything in my _power_ ta make ya happy for how ever long God gives us together. Will ya marry me?" he finished, unconsciously holding his breath.

She gazed down at him smolderingly, allowing her lips to curl into a teasing grin, and whispered, "Yes."

Releasing his breath in a rush, his face transformed by his largest grin, Loren quickly slid the diamond on her finger, rose to his feet, surprisingly agile for a man of his years, and took the woman he loved in his arms. This time she came eagerly and held nothing back, their lips merging in a kiss that, as he told Sully, could burn the house down.

A full minute later, a boy riding a bike outside looked over at the apparently closed store with a puzzled expression as he heard a man inside yell, "Yaahooo!" followed by a woman's amused chuckle.

OOOOOOOO

The entire group had a hand in readying Sully's beloved car to receive its long overdue paint job, including Ingrid and Jared, the latter of whom had come for his usual Saturday hours. Having long since 'paid back' the money he owed from wrecking the ATV and Michaela's treatment of his injuries, he now just came over because he enjoyed being 'one of the family'.

Sully and Robert E. concentrated on masking off every inch of the body that should not receive paint – the windows, the door locks, the tires, the lights, and other small items.

Matthew and Jared followed the men's instructions to roll or carry as many items outside as they could, merely to keep them from being tainted by overspray, since the repair shop was not equipped with a dedicated 'spray booth'. Then Matthew wriggled under the car and fastened a heavy chain, long enough to drag the floor, to the frame to prevent the building up of a static charge.

The girls and Brian stayed busy with 'tack cloths', cotton gauze treated with a kind of resinous material, working hard to make sure every inch of the metal body had been wiped free of dust and tiny debris.

Michaela helped by methodically spraying the floor with water, wall to wall, to minimize the dust that would inevitably be picked up and deposited onto the fresh paint by the magnetic pull of the overspray. She was wearing one of Sully's work shirts, its buttons straining over her burgeoning middle, her long, luxurious, copper/brown hair tied back with two barrettes, Sully's favorite style. It swished gracefully side to side as she moved.

Sully glanced over at his fetching wife for the hundredth time, grinning to himself again at how cute she looked in his shirt – and wondering if the shirt would ever be the same again, mentally calculating how long the thread on the buttons would hold out. She caught his eye and grinned at him lovingly.

Robert E. caught the direction of Sully's gaze and gave a knowing chuckle, shaking his head at his friend for being positively starry-eyed about his wife.

"What?" Sully asked with mock affront.

"Nothin' man," Robert E. snorted, shaking his head again. "You two just get me, that's all."

"Can't a man ogle his own wife if he wants?" Sully teased with a grin, flashing a silly smile at Jared as he chuckled. "She just looks so cute in my shirt," he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows, prompting the other two males to chuckle again.

"Am I being discussed over there?" Michaela called to them teasingly, grinning when her husband flashed his special wink reserved only for her.

"Noneya," he hollered back. The group chuckled happily as they continued their tasks.

OOOOOOOO

Thirty minutes later, the vehicle thoroughly prepped, the extended family gathered around watching Robert E. as he expertly readied the materials he would need to do the work.

"Are you going with the original colors?" Michaela asked, realizing Sully had never stated his intent.

"Yep. Bright yellow with black racin' stripes down the hood," he answered with a grin.

"I keep tellin' him he'll have bumble bees chasin' him when he drives it, but he won't listen," Robert E. teased with a chuckle, winking at Brian when the boy giggled at his joke.

"We're about ready to start, so you guys all get in the office and don't come in here, _for any reason,_ while the sprayin' is happenin'," Robert E. instructed, adding, "Especially you, Dr. Mike." She nodded understandingly.

"Oh, and Dr. Mike...I forgot to mention that the bathroom for the office is...well...it won't flush. Ain't had time to fix it...so if you don't think you can wait..." he paused, his own words embarrassing him, "um...you'll have to use the one for the shop – through there," he added, gesturing over his shoulder with his chin at a doorway in the center of the wall, which led to a short hall with two doors – one the restroom, the other a storage room.

Already feeling the need, Michaela nodded with a soft, "Thank you, Robert E.," and made her way to the door as he added, "And um...sorry it's so dirty in there."

She turned her head and presented him with her half smile, having come to realize that automotive repair shops were not the cleanest of places.

Making short work of completing her business, while trying not to touch the sink, which was smeared with oil and grease, and even laying down strips of toilet paper on the seat for good measure, Michaela finally finished and headed back out to join the others.

In the large open shop, Robert E. had just attached the long hose connecting the air compressor with the loaded spray gun, setting the latter on the bench as he reached up to adjust his respirator. Sully was just in the act of reaching for his own breathing apparatus, but stopped short when he heard a yelp, a clatter, the tell tale hiss of the spray gun, and a squeal.

Glancing quickly to the side, his mouth dropped open to see his wife with gray primer sprayed in a splotchy pattern on the chest of her shirt.

"Michaela?" he called, shaking his head and crossing the space to her side as she stood there looking stunned, the spray gun clutched in her hands.

"How in the world did you do that?" he asked with a grin, reaching to relieve her of her burden.

Robert E. stepped over, taking the apparatus from his friend. "You okay, Dr. Mike?" he asked, trying to suppress a grin.

Blushing at her own clumsiness, she bleated, "Yes...I...I can't see my feet, and I'm afraid I...tripped over the hose. When I saw the spray gun falling...I reached for it without thinking – and my finger hit the trigger!"

Sully shook his head with a playful half grin at his normally graceful wife.

"Hey Matthew," he called over his shoulder as he took his wife's hand and helped her disentangle herself from the hose. "Go to my truck and get my spare shirt, will ya? Gotta get Messy Bessie here cleaned up," Sully joked with a wink as the kids gathered around their flustered mother.

"Oh you," Michaela chuckled, feeling decidedly clumsy and thoroughly embarrassed.

"Hey Mama, I thought only us kids made messes!" Brian joked with a toothy grin, giggling as Sully raised one booted foot and play 'kicked' his son on the rear end, murmuring, "Hey now."

Breathing in some of the fumes from the wet primer, Michaela wrinkled her nose, grimacing in reaction. "Oh my, this paint has a horrible odor!" she fussed, raising a hand to wipe her nose and turning her face away from the overpowering smell. "It's a very aggravating, obnoxious smell, and...all together disagreeable," she added testily.

"Yeah, you might say that," Sully agreed, glancing at Robert E. and grinning at her description of the distinctive scent of automotive paint.

"You didn't tell me how bad it would smell," she accused, albeit teasingly. "What gives it such an odor?"

"Well, we're usin' acrylic enamel instead of lacquer, because it's tougher and lasts longer, plus you don't have to sand it between coats," Robert E. chimed in, his words muffled inside the black rubber respirator. He tipped it up, adding knowledgeably. "The down side is - it has a nasty chemical smell. Gives _me_ a headache, even with a respirator. Plus, the additives, reducer, an' hardeners take as much as a month to evaporate all the way, even after the paint feels dry to the touch."

"You mean the car will smell like this for a _month_?" Michaela asked incredulously, her eyes large, mentally vowing NOT to ride in the El Camino until warm weather.

"Give or take," Sully confessed, thanking Matthew as the young man handed him the extra shirt, grinning his trademark 'Elvis' grin.

"C'mon, let's get your shirt changed," he murmured, reaching to take his wife by the elbow to steer her back toward the restrooms.

"Sully, I'm perfectly capable of changing my own shirt – well, _your_ shirt," she quipped, reaching for the item of clothing as she turned toward the doorway.

He leaned in close, brushing his lips against hers as he whispered, "Yeah...but it's more fun when I help...right?"

"Perhaps," she teased, grinning as he chuckled rakishly.

Robert E. grinned at the pair, calling to them as the bathroom door closed, "Hurry up in there, we gotta do this before the hardener starts workin'!"

Realizing his double entendre, he glanced at the kids, thankfully only Matthew and Jared noticed, reacting with snickers.

OOOOOOOO

The next ninety minutes were both wondrously fascinating and tediously boring for the observers, stationed protectively behind the large plate glass window between the repair shop's utilitarian office and the large open work area.

Although Robert E. had a strong exhaust fan in the ceiling of the shop, turned to its highest speed, the amount of overspray continually hanging in the air at times made it difficult to see the action. Once the primer coats had been applied, everyone watched, fascinated as the bright yellow color slowly began to show forth on the long lines of the body, glistening more with each pass of the gun.

Michaela stood at the window, truly interested in the progression of the job, but more often merely enjoying watching her husband. She couldn't help but smile at the barely controlled exhilaration in Sully's eyes as the fruition of his dream was finally materializing. Wearing well-worn coveralls and a black respirator, its strap buckled tight across the back of his head, effectively flattening his hair's honey brown waves, he watched Robert E.'s every move, hovering near his friend to lend a hand with moving the hose or anything the other man needed as the car's dark gray body slowly turned to yellow.

OOOOOOOO

"Well, whatdya think?" Sully asked proudly, glancing repeatedly at his wife's face as they carefully circled the now completely yellow vehicle.

Having finished the bulk of the painting, minus detailing such as the black stripes and various touch-ups, Robert E. had opened all three bay doors to allow the overpowering fumes and airborne particulates to more quickly dissipate, leaving the air more or less acceptable.

Michaela, a handkerchief pressed to her nose in deference to the smell, and striving to ignore the headache that had begun shortly after she had sprayed herself, nodded in approval of their friend's fine work, noting only one small 'run' near the back of a fender. Both men assured her it would be smoothed out post haste.

Moving the cloth, Michaela smiled at her husband, amusement twinkling in her eyes as she glanced at him, so full of nervous excitement he was nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"It looks wonderful...a huge improvement from the first time you showed it to me," she added, fondly remembering their first official date when he had taken her to the shop and proudly shown her the vehicle he had inherited from his late father.

Sully nodded, pressing his lips together as his eyes roamed over the now smooth surface. "I've always loved her curves and long, smooth lines," Sully murmured, resisting the urge to lay a hand on the glossy, but still fragile surface.

Michaela grinned at this remark, knowing he wasn't aware of the double entendre. "I have some competition then, hmm?" she murmured softly, eyebrows raised flirtatiously as he turned his head and grinned at her. He leaned close and nuzzled in past the handkerchief, pressing a soft kiss to her lips and whispering, "You ain't got nothin' to worry about."

"That's a relief," she quipped, rubbing noses with him.

"How long before we can take it home?" Brian asked

Sully glanced at his friend, who was still removing little bits of masking tape. Robert E. shrugged and pursed his lips in thought. "Oh, I'd say in a day or two, give the paint a chance to cure a little," he answered after a moment. "And hey, where's she gonna bed down?"

"In the garage, of course," Sully immediately replied as he reached to help remove a piece of tape.

Michaela's mouth dropped open, and she shook her head in mock insult at this. "The Escalade resides out in the weather, despite your promise to clear a bay for it, but you'll clear one for the El Camino?"

Sully had the grace to look slightly ashamed as he remembered his promise after the hailstorm to clear space in the garage for the family vehicle.

Sighing flamboyantly, Michaela crossed her arms over her chest and stared into the vehicle's grill. "Competition for my husband's affections...in the form of a large, metal bumblebee," she grumbled as the girls giggled.

OOOOOOOO

"Are you sure you are all right?" Snowbird asked concernedly when Michaela finished telling her the details of that morning's incident.

"Yes, I'm sure I am..._we_ are," she amended, smiling softly as she brushed a loving hand over her prominent belly. "Just feeling decidedly clumsy," she added with a half grin.

"Have you felt the baby move since it happened?" her friend asked, wishing to be reassured.

Thinking for a moment, she shook her head, murmuring, "Well, no...but the baby normally seems to nap between breakfast and lunch."

"Michaela..." Snowbird intoned, but Michaela smiled at her friend brightly.

"Don't be such a worry wart. Everything is fine."

"Well..."

"How is Cloud Dancing coming along with the baby's crib?" Michaela asked pointedly, determined to steer the conversation away from the awkward subject.

Snowbird shook her head at her friend, but grinned and turned her head toward the object. "He is almost finished. Do you wish to see?" she asked, not waiting for an answer, but reaching to turn the webcam toward the nearly finished crib against the far wall of the home office – soon to be the baby's room.

"Oh, he's doing a splendid job!" Michaela complimented as she took in the intricate Native American designs painted on the headboard with non-toxic paint.

"Yes, my husband is quite the artist," her friend commented with wifely pride as she gazed at his handiwork.

With that the two friends talked about one subject and then another for the next thirty minutes, chatting amicably and chuckling together more than once.

OOOOOOO

"Congratulations you two!" Michaela gushed, leaning to hug first Loren and then Dorothy.

Sully chuckled happily, his grin wide, as the kids gathered around the newly engaged couple, just inside the homestead's front door.

"You two are gettin' married?" Brian gushed with a toothy grin, gazing up at his widely grinning grandfather and soon-to-be grandmother.

"Oh boy, we'll have _two_ grandma's, then!" he added as his brother and sisters hugged the older couple.

Michaela reached out for the boy, pulling him against her side as she softly admonished, "Brian..."

But Dorothy anticipated what Michaela was about to do and gently intervened. Stooping down to the boy's level, the redhead smiled sweetly, blue eyes twinkling, as she murmured, "I'd be honored to be your grandma, Brian," adding as she cast her eyes around the group, "all of you."

Loren looked on with his smile cemented in place, so pleased and proud of this wonderful woman who would become his wife in the very near future. Indeed, his smile had not left his face since she had uttered that magic word, "Yes," several hours before.

"So, when's the big day?" Sully asked, extending his hand toward the living room to invite their visitors inside.

Reaching the couch, the older couple sat down side by side, their gazes meeting as each deferred to the other.

"We're still in the plannin' stages, but it's lookin' like around the middle of April," Loren finally offered.

"That's good. Perhaps the weather will be warm, then," Michaela encouraged with a smile.

Dorothy nodded with a shy grin. "And Michaela...I wondered if you'd consent to be my matron..."

"And you my best man, Sully," Loren added blusteringly, holding his beloved's hand with his left and reaching to grab Sully's with his right.

"I'd be honored," the younger couple answered in total sync.

Everyone chuckled, and the family began to speak at once. "Can we be flower girls?" Colleen asked. "I could be the ring bear again," Brian chimed. "You'll need ushers," Matthew offered.

Dorothy laughed and brought her hands up to stop the flow of offers. "Whoa, I'm not sure we're gonna have a large weddin'...we talked about just a few couples witnessin' our vows..."

"But you could practice your planning skills," Michaela reminded with a grin and a twinkle of her mismatched eyes, laughing when the others took up the baton and began to give ideas as the older couple laughed and exchanged pleased glances.

After a few minutes, Michaela offered, "Would you two care for some coffee?"

At nods from the older couple, Michaela smiled and stood from the chair to make her way into the kitchen as the conversation continued.

"Want help?" Sully asked softly as she passed by, catching her hand and giving it a warm caress.

"No, I'm fine. You sit," she whispered, leaning to give him a quick smooch. "Would you like some, too?" she added with raised eyebrows. He shook his head no.

She reached the kitchen and gasped softly, pressing a hand to the right side of her belly, near her belly button, as a sharp pain shot through her middle. Having experienced the same shooting pains several times on the day after the pile up on I-25, Michaela stood still and closed her eyes, grimacing, knowing it would pass. After a few moments, the pain subsided and she breathed in deeply, lovingly rubbing the area as she set about her business.

Several minutes later, two cups of coffee prepared, Michaela turned with them in her hands as Brian wandered into the kitchen to search out a snack.

Suddenly, a sharp, intense pain shot across her stomach, causing Michaela to squeal, "Oh!" and bend forward, coffee splattering and cups clattering loudly to the floor.

"Mom!" Brian hollered as he rushed forward to try and be of assistance to his suddenly stricken mother.

Sully was on his feet a split second after he heard the noise, the others on his heels as they rounded the center fireplace.

"Chaela!" he gasped when he saw his wife doubled over in pain. He rushed to her side and guided her toward a kitchen chair. "What happened?" he murmured anxiously.

"I..." she gasped again as another searing pain again shot across. "Pain," she managed through gritted teeth, her eyes beginning to tear up as she helplessly pressed her hands against the area.

The kids fired questions at her and at their father, the peaceful house suddenly rife with tension. Michaela pressed her face into Sully's neck as he crouched close, trying to breath calmly and draw strength and comfort from her husband.

"Michaela?" Dorothy murmured apprehensively, crouching on the other side of the chair as Loren and the children gathered near, every face a picture of concern.

Michaela managed a grim smile as she strove to tamp down her fear of what such sharp pains at only twenty-seven weeks could mean. "I'm fine," she insisted as the pain began to lessen. "It's subsiding," she added softly.

Not wanting to take any chances, Sully murmured, "C'mon, I think you should lay down," standing up and scooping his pregnant wife into his arms.

"Sully," she began to protest, but stopped when she encountered the no-nonsense expression in her husband's eyes. Ingrid bit down on her lip in concern and took a step back, reaching for Matthew's hand as Sully passed by with his precious burden, the others following anxiously.

Reaching the living room couch, Sully sat her down gingerly, guiding her back against the pillows and reaching to lift her feet up, slipping her house shoes off in the process.

The others gathered again, casting worried glances at each other as they all watched to see what would happen next with the woman that meant so much to each one.

Sully lowered himself down next to her, gently laying his hand over hers on her belly. "Hurtin' now?" he asked softly, searching her eyes.

She shook her head as she clasped her lip between her teeth, taking shallow breaths as she waited, glancing up and around at all of the concerned faces hovering close.

"Did you lift anything heavy today?" Dorothy asked, grasping for a reason for the sudden occurrence.

Michaela's hands cupped Sully's as it lay warmly over her middle, unconsciously needing to feel his touch against the area of concern. Swallowing nervously, Michaela drew in a breath as she met his eyes, nodding once in answer to Dorothy's question.

Within seconds she winced as another pain shot through, in an arc just below the skin. Oh how she wished she had heeded the warnings she had experienced over the last few days. Why had she not told Sully? Indeed, why had she pushed on, deciding to perform an early 'spring cleaning' of the clinic and refusing everyone's offer of help? She had felt pains periodically, but after they subsided, she had kept on with her 'mission'. Now, she silently berated herself for her stubbornness.

"What did ya lift?" Sully asked, glancing quickly at the others, each one shrugging.

Michaela remained silent.

"Somethin' at the clinic?" he pressed.

"I wanted to...I was cleaning...carrying boxes..." she stammered, her face pink with shame, knowing how foolish it sounded, and knowing it was a flagrant breaking of her promise to him that she would take it easy and always call for assistance from him or one of the kids.

"Awww Dr. Mike, what'dya go and do that for?" Loren fussed, though thoroughly worried about his adopted daughter-in-law.

"Maybe I should take you to the hospital," Sully declared concernedly as he watched his beloved's eyes fill with tears of pain and self reproach.

"Get my stethoscope," she instructed breathlessly, gritting her teeth against another shooting pain. Hannah ran to the desk in the corner and removed the object from her mother's physician's bag, returning quickly and pushing it into Michaela's shaking hands.

Trembling, Michaela placed the earpieces in and pressed the bell of the instrument to her abdomen, closing her eyes in relief when she detected the steady rhythm of their child's strong heartbeat.

Taking charge, Dorothy asked gently, "Sully, where is the emergency number to Michaela's doctor?" Sully pointed toward the dry-erase board, his eyes never leaving his beloved's tense face. The older woman nodded and quickly crossed to the board, locating and dialing the number with the kitchen phone.

Speaking softly, Dorothy explained the situation to the woman who answered the phone, waiting several minutes until Dr. Bernard himself came on the line. Dorothy came into the living room, relaying the doctor's questions as Sully continued to worriedly monitor Michaela's pained expression.

"Sully, Dr. Bernard wants to know if anything else happened today."

Sully shook his head at first, but then his eyes widened as he remembered the paint sprayed on his wife's shirtfront and her complaint about the smell, as well as her mentioning it had given her a headache. Turning his head, he quickly related the specifics of that incident.

Weighing the facts against how far along in the pregnancy Michaela was at this point, Dr. Bernard issued orders to his patient's family.

OOOOOOOOO

Michaela lay curled in the beautiful bed she shared with her husband, which had been lovingly carved by their ancestor for his beloved wife so long ago. Dr. Bernard had instructed them to have Michaela take two Tylenols and lie down on her left side.

"If this helps the pain stop, and it stays away for at least two hours, she'll be alright," he had advised. "But if the pain continues or worsens, or returns within two hours, take her straight to Penrose ER and phone me again. I'll meet you there," he had finished, adding, "However...since the pain has not been accompanied by bleeding or spotting, I'm sure she'll be fine."

Michaela and her extremely worried husband had spent those two hours praying fervently for God's help.

Now, she lay as still as possible, taking slow deep breaths, her eyes hazily watching the winter sun slowly paint breathtaking oranges and reds on the canvass of the evening sky, a portion of which she could see from the side window.

She lay with the journal clasped to her breast, having stopped reading after Sully fussed at her for checking to see if a parallel existed between the first Michaela and herself regarding the incident that had happened that day.

Indeed she had, but this time, reading the journal had caused heated words between the modern day couple.

"'Chaela, what're ya doin'?" Sully had demanded in frustration.

Having only been out of the room for twenty minutes while he checked on the family, he had returned to be with her, thinking she was resting. Instead, he found her lying on her side with tears flowing down her cheeks, reading the old journal.

She had turned her head and met his gaze as two more tears spilled from her eyes. "Michaela...she had pains...and bleeding...from doing too much...and nearly..." she sniffled pitifully.

"Don't be readin' that _now_!" Sully had blustered, his hands rifling through his hair as he fought to calm the underlying fear and worry – and guilt – as they weren't sure if the incident with the paint contributed to her pains or not.

"I'm sorry..." she had immediately squeaked, her eyes wide in the face of her husband's sudden anger.

"Hey, hey...ssshhh," he had immediately softened, lowering himself next to her on the bed and laying his hands gently on her belly and her right hip. "You just...you shouldn't be readin' something like that right now...upsettin' yourself more...you're supposed to be restin'," he admonished softly.

"I know...I just...needed to find out if..." she attempted to explain, though in reality she didn't really know what had driven her to seek out the information or what she had hoped or expected to find.

"If what? If she lost the baby?" he supplied softly. "You know she didn't. You know she was alright..."

Michaela swallowed and gave a hesitant nod, searching his eyes for reassurance, though not one hundred percent sure she wanted to be reassured, her mind a jumble of emotions and thoughts of guilt, fear, dread, worry...

Sully searched her eyes for a moment, then gave her a tiny smile and reached for the volume, but was surprised at her immediate, "NO!" as she grabbed it and pressed it to her chest.

"Let me hold it," she murmured, wiping at her eyes with the back of one hand, "It comforts me somehow. But, I promise I won't read any more tonight," she added softly as she saw the hesitation in his eyes.

Hoping he wasn't making the wrong choice, he nodded with a sigh and leaned back a bit.

"You have any more pains?" he asked softly.

She shook her head, drawing in a shuddering breath. "No, thankfully. How long has it been?"

Sully glanced at the clock. "About three hours."

Nodding, Michaela attempted a smile. "The trouble has passed, then. I think everything is all right now."

Sully nodded, pressing his lips together in thought.

"Michaela..." he began hesitantly. "Promise me you won't go liftin' anything or doin' anything you shouldn't from now on...promise me you'll ask my help...or one of the kids...okay?" he asked softly.

"I promise," she responded, reaching out a hand and lovingly caressing his smooth face. "I'm sorry I was careless," she added, just above a whisper.

He turned his head and pressed his lips to her palm. "...I'm sorry I didn't protect ya enough today. It was a stupid idea for you to go with us to the shop. If breathin' that paint hurt you or the baby...I..."

Michaela gently pressed a thumb to his lips, hushing him and shaking her head. "I think it was a combination of everything...but I'm fine now," she added reassuringly. "Although it did give me a fierce headache," she added with a twinkle.

Smiling at her lovingly, he leaned close to press a soft kiss to her lips, so very thankful the crisis had passed.

After a few moments, he leaned back, murmuring, "Can I get ya anything? Ya hungry?"

"I _am_ a little hungry," she admitted softly, grinning at his chuckle.

"I'll bring ya somethin'," he whispered, leaning to brush her lips with his once more before rising from the bed. "Be right back," he added softly. She nodded in response.

Watching her husband quietly leave the room, Michaela had turned her head back toward the window, her mind recalling her ancestor's words meticulously written in the old journal.

_**March 2, 1871**_

_**What a foolish and stupid woman I am! What was I thinking? I've been so bullheaded, pushing on just to prove to everyone that...what? That I'm invincible? To prove something to the men of this town...indeed...the men my whole life that judged me as weak and incapable... To prove that I can be large with child and still carry out my normal activities, not slowing down in the least? Taking everything in stride? **_

_**I nearly lost my baby! Foolishness! Stubborn pride! Oh God, forgive me for my carelessness!**_

_**For the past several days, while Sully has been away on a dangerous mission to rescue a kidnapped boy, I've been suffering pains and late term bleeding, but stubbornly treated them myself, telling myself they would just 'go away.' I can't believe I kept right on going...I suppose trying to keep busy to avoid worrying about Sully, stubbornly refusing to take anyone's advice – even that of a colleague, such as he is, Dr. Cassidy. I thought they were all just overreacting and that I knew better. But when the pains and bleeding became severe, I was truly frightened that I had pushed my body too far.**_

_**I should have known better! I've helped dozens of pregnant women and always advise them to be careful. But experiencing it now for myself, somehow I thought I could do it all. **_

_**I thank God the bleeding and pain have subsided...oh what would Sully have done if he came home from his trip to find that I had compromised the life of our child? If I had miscarried our baby due to overwork? **_

_**Lord, help me to learn from this lesson...and forgive me for not sufficiently protecting the precious life you've given to me for safekeeping. **_

"Yes, Lord. Help me to remember my lesson, also," Michaela whispered, her eyes shut in prayer.

Lovingly placing both hands on her stomach and gently caressing the baby, who moved a little in response to its mother's touch, she added, "Oh little one...please forgive me."

Lapsing into silence, she smiled and sighed comfortably as the sounds of her husband and children interacting in the kitchen floated softly up the stairs.

She was blessed, indeed.

OOOOOOOO

One week later, Sully drove the El Camino home for the first time in almost two years. Brian, given the honor of riding with Dad, giggled joyfully, leaning to honk the horn each time they passed friends who had come out front of their establishments to watch the happy spectacle.

Grace came out of the café, wiping her hands on a dishtowel, grinning and waving as the shiny yellow vehicle slowly rolled by. She laughed delightedly at Sully's almost comic expression of pride.

Loren and Dorothy emerged from the store, waving as the little parade passed by, consisting of the brightly painted El Camino followed by Michaela and the girls in the Escalade and Matthew, Ingrid, Jared, and Jared's girlfriend, Maggie, in Sully's pickup.

The small convoy of vehicles turned into the driveway off Hanover, passing by the clinic and under the canopy of trees, sans leaves. Reaching the garage nearest the house, Sully carefully pulled his beloved car/truck inside the structure, having readied the right bay for its royal occupant.

As the others exited their vehicles and gathered around the open doors of the garage, watching Sully as he took exaggerated care of closing the door and edging by the body's new paint, they exchanged amused glances.

Sully walked to his wife, who was staying carefully back from the door and away from the still pungent scent of the newly painted automobile, and slipped his arm around her shoulders.

Sighing in satisfaction, he murmured, "Sure feels good to have her back where she belongs."

"Mmm, yes," she agreed, admiring their friend's expert work. "It truly looks as if it just rolled off the assembly line. She's beautiful."

"Robert E.'s right. This thing looks like a giant bumble bee," Jared commented teasingly, chuckling as Matthew gave him a playful shove.

Sully glanced at him, a dimpled grin on his face. "Yeah, but at least it's a bumblebee without a stinger," he quipped.

"Oh I don't know...its scent surely stings," Michaela joked softly.

"Only temporarily," her husband returned, glancing at her face with an apologetic smile and dipping his head to press a kiss to her lips.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!" Brian teased, charging at the girls and causing a cacophony of squeals as they ran and spun, dodging his attack.

Sully laughed out loud and turned his wife in his arms for a full hug, both of them chuckling as they watched the antics of the children as Matthew reached out and scooped Brian up, holding him upside down while the boy squealed in delight.

Their baby nestled comfortably between them and the kids frolicking all around, Michaela sighed happily and laid her head in the curve of Sully's neck, enjoying the fact that all was right with their world.


	25. Life Marches On

**CHAPTER 25 – LIFE MARCHES ON**

At her next regular check up, Michaela lay prone on the examining table in the now familiar position, watching the expressions on her doctor's face.

"Any more pain or discomfort since that night?" Dr. Bernard asked as he gently manipulated Michaela's prominent belly.

"None at all," she answered gratefully, glancing up with a smile as Sully squeezed her hand from his position behind her head. He grinned in return.

"God was merciful, and I've learned my lesson, the hard way, believe me," she murmured softly.

The older gentleman glanced her way and smiled understandingly. "I'm glad to hear that. You were extremely lucky there was no late term bleeding accompanying such sharp pains. You were given a firm warning," he added seriously.

Michaela nodded, suitably contrite. "I know, and I shan't be taking any more chances...I promise," she added as she switched her eyes upward to meet Sully's. He smiled softly and moved one hand to lovingly cup her face.

After a moment, the doctor moved his stethoscope to his ears and pressed the bell against her skin, a tiny smile of satisfaction gracing his face as he heard the strong and healthy heartbeat.

"Everything sounds normal," he commented softly as he listened, moving the instrument around.

"Yeah, she's got a strong heartbeat alright...we listen to it every day," Sully supplied helpfully.

The doctor glanced at him, a wry grin forming. "_She_ does, huh?" he teased, knowing from the ultrasounds the sex of the baby, and unable to resist a little chiding as he knew they wanted to be surprised.

Sully pressed his lips together and inclined his head in recognition of the teasing, his eyes twinkling merrily. "Or _he,_" he acquiesced.

"Well, _he _or_ she_ has become very athletic of late – and seems to have decided that playtime begins at eleven pm," Michaela informed the two grinning males.

Dr. Bernard nodded as he straightened, extending a hand to aid Michaela in sitting up, though Sully was already in the process of helping.

"Try drinking some Chamomile tea before bed. Many of my patients have found that to be helpful in calming a...nocturnally active baby."

Michaela nodded in response.

"How are you doing otherwise? Any RLS symptoms or other trouble?"

"Yes, matter of fact I have been suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome for several weeks, I believe..." Michaela began.

"But I've been massagin' her legs real good every night**,** and it seems to pretty much take care of it," Sully interjected, missing the doctor's glance because he was gazing adoringly at his wife.

Michaela met her colleague's amused look and raised her eyebrows with a grin and a nod.

Dr. Bernard chuckled softly and shook his head, tilting his head down to look over his glasses at the other man. "I'll say one thing, Sully. I've never known a husband/father more concerned and supportive than you." Sully merely smiled, taking the remark as a compliment.

Switching his gaze to Michaela, he added, "And you are, I'm sure..."

"Very appreciative...and very much in love with my husband," Michaela finished for him, leaning into Sully's embrace as the older doctor chuckled again, making a notation in Michaela's chart and reminding the couple of problems to look out for during the next month of the pregnancy.

OOOOOOOOO

"And you're sure everything is all right?" Elizabeth asked for the third time, pacing once again up to the large front window of her opulent home on Pinckney Street in Beacon Hill. Watching the large, fluffy snowflakes descend slowly down, adding to the three inches already covering the large evergreen and elegant black wrought-iron fence in the center of the divided street, she listened anxiously as her youngest daughter assured her again of the details of the doctor's findings.

"Yes, Mother. Dr. Bernard gave the baby and I a thorough examination, and he found absolutely nothing of concern."

"I still can't believe your husband dragged you over to that repair shop and exposed you, _and_ his child, to possibly lethal doses of automotive paint fumes! What was he _thinking_?" Elizabeth groused, in truth, struggling with this, the first time she had been actively angry with her wonderful son-in-law. In truth, she found it extremely frustrating to be so many miles away and unable to be in 'control' of something that concerned her so deeply.

Bristling slightly at someone maligning her husband, Michaela clamped her teeth and lips together, taking in a large breath before answering.

"Mother, it was _not_ Sully's fault. I told you, I had picked up several boxes at the clinic the day before, which was one reason for the pains. Besides that, if I had not sprayed _myself_ with the primer, I would have been fine behind the safety glass in the office. It was just a clumsy accident," she added petulantly, rolling her eyes and plucking at a loose thread at the hem of her shirt.

"And what were you doing carrying heavy boxes while you are large with child? Do you have no help at all? Sully promised me he would protect you with his life! Is he not..."

"Mother!" Michaela interrupted, her Irish ire rising like steam in a teakettle. "Sully has given me standing orders to never pick up or move anything heavy. _ I'm_ the one who disregarded them. _I'm_ the one who broke my promise to _him_. And he was quite put out with me, by the way," she added for good measure, fully intending to nip in the bud any lingering resentment that could possibly fester within her mother, the notorious Boston Powerhouse.

Snorting in disgust, Elizabeth muttered, "As well he should be."

"He _was_...as I was with myself," Michaela added just above a whisper.

Elizabeth stopped her pacing at the self-reproaching tone of her daughter's voice, for the first time allowing it to dawn on her just how traumatic the episode had been for not only the entire family, but even more, for Michaela herself.

Suddenly, memories from a long ago incident rose to the forefront of the older woman's mind. Drawing in a large, calming breath, she swallowed dryly and made her way to an elegant wingback chair near the pleasantly burning fireplace.

"Oh Michaela...forgive me...I was just so worried. It must have been terrible for you to go through that...suffering from a certain amount of guilt as well as the pain..."

"Yes, Mother, it was. Especially since I knew better. I didn't even follow what would have been my own advice to a patient," she added truthfully.

After a few moments of silence as each woman struggled with her own thoughts, Elizabeth murmured, "I know exactly how you feel, my dear...you see...the very same thing happened to _me_ when I was six months pregnant...with Rebecca."

"I never knew that..." Michaela murmured softly, cradling the phone as she relaxed back against the chair next to the warmly burning fireplace in the homestead's living room.

"That is because I never speak of it," her mother informed quietly. "I was quite ashamed of myself and extremely thankful that my foolishness had not resulted in tragedy."

"Mother...what happened?" Michaela asked, for the first time seeing her always 'perfectly' behaved mother as totally human, and capable of unwise decisions.

"I...I was angry at your father for...something or other, I can't even remember now. And just to spite him, I..." Elizabeth paused, finding it very difficult to admit her own failings to one of her children. "I...rearranged the parlor, moving heavy pieces of furniture myself. Looking back now, I can't believe I even did such a thing. He came home and caught me**,** and we had a terrible row, I'm ashamed to say."

"Oh Mother..." Michaela breathed in amazement at the revelation she was hearing.

"That night, horrendous pains shot across my stomach**,** and I was truly frightened that I would lose the baby..."

"But...everything was all right..." Michaela murmured, knowing her sister had not been a pre-term baby.

"Yes...I hid the pains from your father for nearly thirty minutes, but when they became severe, I inadvertently woke him up with a moan. He took one look at my face and knew what was happening," Elizabeth confessed with a loving smile, remembering that horrendous night and the professionalism with which her husband had attended her. "He had me do exactly what your doctor prescribed, monitoring me and the baby constantly for over two hours, not saying a word about my temper tantrum," she added self-deprecatingly. "When we were sure the crisis had been averted, we had a long overdue talk...and everything was smooth sailing for the balance of my term."

"Thank God..." Michaela murmured.

"I did, indeed," Elizabeth answered, each woman pausing for a moment as emotions settled.

For the next little while, mother and daughter exchanged some very personal thoughts and episodes in their lives, as they indulged in their _own_ 'long overdue talk.'

OOOOOOOOO

"Oh I'm so glad you're here!" Michaela gushed as she enfolded her best friend in her arms – as close as the two women could get considering their respective baby mounds. The Cheyenne couple had decided to make a 'spring' visit this year, since Cloud Dancing would not be able to spend his summer with his Colorado Springs family – and his brother – like he normally would.

Sully, meanwhile, had engulfed Cloud Dancing in a manly hug, each fondly thumping the other on the back.

"I like your new ride, man. It suits you," Sully complimented, glancing over his friend's shoulder at his new pickup.

"Yes, and it is so very comfortable. I adore it..._and_ my husband for buying it," Snowbird interjected, flashing her husband a loving glance as the two sets of friends stood back from their respective embraces.

"Cloud Dancing! Snowbird!" Hannah yelled as she bounded down the stairs, followed closely by Colleen and then Brian.

The Indian woman opened her arms with a big smile as the girls sailed into them. Cloud Dancing barely had time to brace himself before Brian launched into his arms from three feet away, the Cheyenne quickly catching him up in a fierce hug and laughing merrily.

"We can't wait to give you your present!" Brian gushed as he pulled back and looked into the dark eyes of his Cheyenne father.

"My present?" Cloud Dancing inquired, casting a puzzled glance at his friends.

"Well, it's really for both of you," Michaela explained, reaching to tussle Brian's soft blond hair. "And we were going to wait until after the meal, Brian Alexander," she fussed gently at the boy.

"Oops...sorry," he blushed, grinning and then squealing as Sully grabbed him from his brother's arms and tossed him into the air.

"You ain't learned how to keep a secret yet, _have_ ya, son," his father teasingly reprimanded.

"Can't we give it to 'em now?" the boy squeaked, beside himself to let the cat out of the bag.

Glancing at his wife, who gave a tiny shrug of acquiescence, Sully chuckled in surrender. "All right," he murmured, setting his son on his feet. "Go on. Run up and get it."

"Yaahoo!" the boy expounded, dashing to the steps and clunking quickly up to his room.

As Sully took his friends' winter coats and hung them on pegs by the door, Michaela crossed to the desk in the corner and retrieved a wrapped box, returning to stand near her husband, her eyes twinkling with happiness that their friends were with them once again.

Just then, everyone heard Brian clumping his way back down the stairs, Matthew following behind and calling a greeting to their family friends when he came into view, while keeping one hand on the rather large wrapped package the smaller boy precariously clutched.

Brian hurried to the Indian couple as they settled down on the couch, and handed the package to them, barely able to control his excitement.

"Here! Open it!" he gushed, hopping up and down excitedly.

Cloud Dancing laughed and glanced up at his friend's face, finding a large grin on Sully's face and a matching one on Michaela's.

"What could this be?" he asked softly, complying with Brian's request and beginning to tear off the paper, his wife helping.

The couple gasped in unison as the paper parted, and the item came into view. Cloud Dancing sat still and just stared – at a wanted poster of what could almost be himself with just tiny differences in the features. It had been professionally mounted in a frame made from antique wood, and matted handsomely.

"This is the poster you told me about...from the treasure you found stashed in your old room?"

"Yep," Sully answered softly, thoroughly enjoying his friends' reactions.

"Cloud Dancing...it is your ancestor..." Snowbird murmured softly, reaching a hand toward the face and softly brushing her fingers against his cheek. "...Yet it could almost be _you_..."

"Bein' that we know he wasn't hunted and killed for the money, since the poster does say he was wanted dead or alive...we thought you'd like to have it..." Sully explained to the surprised receivers.

"Thank you...all of you. This means so much...it will be displayed in a place of honor in our home," Cloud Dancing vowed softly as Snowbird nodded agreement.

"And here," Michaela added, gently handing over the wrapped box she had retrieved.

"What is this?" Cloud Dancing asked, glancing up at his brother's wife, tears beginning to cloud his eyes at the unexpected gifts from these people he considered his true family. Taking the box from her hands, he tore off the paper and opened it, removing a small, handsome, leather-bound journal. Opening the cover, he began to read the notations, written in Michaela's own hand.

"This is an alphabetical list of the herbs and remedies Cloud Dancing taught to Michaela over the course of their friendship. She had them mostly jotted down in the back of her journal, but not in any kind of order, so I took the liberty of organizing them for you...the pictures of the herbs that accompanied many of the notations I photocopied and pasted in," she explained softly as Sully looked on with a proud smile, watching the interactions of the two people who meant the world to him.

Cloud Dancing looked up at her once again, this time tears in his eyes, and quite choked up. He could tell from the appearance that it must have taken her many hours to complete. Placing aside the treasured volume, he stood and enveloped her in his arms, whispering softly, "Thank you, Michaela. I will treasure it."

The others looked on with smiles, silently honoring the special moment between sister and brother-in-law...until Brian piped up, "You guys gotta come upstairs and see all the stuff we told ya about that we found in the floor!"

Everyone chuckled as Michaela and Cloud Dancing stepped back from each other, Sully once again stepping in.

"They will, Brian. They just got here, let 'em rest a bit first, son."

"Awww, okay," the boy groused playfully, though grinning when Snowbird pulled him down to sit next to her, together perusing the now famous 'wanted' poster.

OOOOOOOOO

"Hey Sully. Long time no talk to. How's everything?" Daniel asked when Sully answered his cell phone as he performed his daily chores in the barn the next morning.

"Daniel! Hey man. Everything's fine, how 'bout you guys?" Sully answered, turning to face Cloud Dancing across the barn, the two men exchanging grins.

"Sully, I'll tell ya what...I never thought my life'd end up this happy, and that's the truth. My Sarah...I just can't tell you how wonderful she is," Daniel admitted, then chuckled, adding, "But heck, look who I'm talkin' to – I know you know exactly what I mean here."

"That I do, man. That I do," Sully responded with a chuckle, pausing a moment and placing the tip of the pitchfork he had been using on the floor, bracing himself against the handle.

"And speakin' of happy...that's what those kids in my youth group are gonna be in about a month..."

Sully laughed in response**,** and they spent the next few minutes discussing price per camper and some ideas Sully had for activities the kids could do during the week.

Sully then gave the phone to Cloud Dancing**,** and he chatted for several minutes with their mutual friend, bringing each other up to date on the happenings in their lives.

Before they rang off, Daniel ended with, "Well, Sully, we'll see you guys in about a month, then. It'll be about twenty kids, and five adult chaperones, including me and Sarah."

"Okay man, we're lookin' forward to it. You take care."

"You, too. Tell Michaela and Snowbird we said hey," Daniel returned.

"Will do," Sully ended as both men rang off.

OOOOOOOOO

"Wait until you meet Anna, she's just perfect for Reverend Johnson," Michaela mentioned, handing Snowbird a piping hot cup of tea and taking a seat at the table, gripping her own cup.

"I think it is wonderful that they met in one of those online dating services," Snowbird returned with a grin. "God surely has a sense of humor, does He not?"

"Yes, He certainly does," Michaela agreed with a matching grin. Her smile dimmed a little when she remembered the one wrinkle in the fabric. "They _have_ had a little trouble with Anna's daughter, Sarah, however."

"She is not willing to accept a new man in her mother's life?" Michaela's Cheyenne friend asked in her customarily intuitive way.

"I'm afraid so...but there _is_ light at the end of that tunnel. This past Sunday, I saw her take his hand to walk to the car across the icy parking lot at the church. Several Sundays ago, Brian had a talk with Sarah, and since then, she has begun at least _trying_ to get to know the Reverend."

"Brian?" Snowbird asked, pride in her 'nephew' shining in her beautiful dark eyes. "President Spang is a wise man, is he not? He knew what he was doing when he named Brian Vó'ho'kasé Taa'éeše'he, Bright Moon. It seems he is already a shining light among those of his age."

"Yes, he is," Michaela agreed, fairly bursting with motherly pride. "He has grown so much in the last two years, it is truly astounding. He is becoming very much a little 'man', thanks to Sully and Cloud Dancing's patient guidance – as well as Matthew's. _And_, he is very much looking forward to being a 'big brother' to this little one," she added with a loving caress to her belly.

"Speaking of that one...all is well?" Snowbird asked, having heard what had happened to Michaela after their last webcam conversation.

Michaela rolled her eyes and nodded, still somewhat ashamed of her own role in what happened. "Yes, I've learned my lesson, believe me Snowbird. A cup of tea is the heaviest thing I'm picking up now – and definitely no breathing anything in that is even remotely harmful."

Snowbird, suddenly emotional, leaned forward, laying a hand on one of Michaela's. "I was so worried...I..."

Michaela pressed her lips together, moved by her friend's rush of emotions.

"Snowbird," she whispered. Leaning forward, the best friends wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders in a heart-felt hug.

"I was, too," Michaela whispered. "I prayed so hard...and asked God to forgive me for my foolishness...I could have lost our baby."

After a few moments, a knock sounded at the front door.

The two friends leaned back from each other, both sniffling in calming breaths as the lady of the house rose to answer the knock, drying her eyes with the back of one hand.

"Come on in," Michaela greeted with a smile as she held the front door open for Dorothy.

"Snowbird and I were just having some tea, would you like some?"

"Thank you, Michaela, that'd be nice," she smiled and stepped inside, greeting the woman sitting at the kitchen table holding a cup of herbal tea.

"Hello Snowbird, how are you?" Dorothy asked warmly, moving over and around the table to give her friend a hug.

"Oh, you're looking fine," Dorothy said as she pulled back, assessing the quite pregnant and still lovely, black haired woman. "Glowin', just like Michaela. Pregnancy suits you both," she added with a twinkle.

"Thank you. I _am_ feeling wonderful, Dorothy," Snowbird replied. "And you?"

"Oh, I'm right as rain," Dorothy returned with a happy smile.

"Congratulations on your engagement, by the way," the Cheyenne woman added, her dark eyes twinkling happily. "It is about time you two admitted your love for each other."

Dorothy blushed a little at her inference that her and Loren's love was obvious to everyone but themselves. "Thank you. Oh and this weddin', it's turnin' into a whole lot more than we first envisioned," she added with a chuckle.

Snowbird nodded with a grin. "They always do."

Turning to their host as Michaela placed a cup on the table in front of her newest visitor, Dorothy smiled again, clearly on a mission.

"Michaela...I brought ya somethin'. Well, actually, it's for you _and_ Sully. I ran across an article when I was doin' some research for a book I'm thinkin' about writin'. I found it in the online archives of the Denver Post." Hesitating, she reached in her purse and took out several folded sheets of paper. "Instead of sendin' you a link...I wanted to bring it to you in person. Here," she added, handing them to the doctor with what could only be termed reverential treatment.

Curious, Michaela flashed a look at Snowbird, who gave a nearly imperceptive shrug, then took the papers and sat down at the kitchen table. Unfolding the sheets, the headline of the article made her gasp**,** and she instinctively knew the identities of the people. The article was dated August 7, 1929.

Taking a breath, she began reading aloud:

**Colorado Couple Married 59 Years Dies Holding Hands, an Hour Apart**

**By W.J. Carter**

_A well-known Colorado couple married for 59 years died holding hands in the hospital last week, exactly one hour apart. _

_The passing reflected the nature of their marriage, where, "As a rule, everything was done together," said the couple's daughter Katherine "Katie" Johnson, 58. _

_Byron Sully, 94, and his wife Michaela "Dr. Mike" Quinn, 96, left their home outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Wednesday to drive into town, but never made it. A car accident sent the couple to the emergency room with broken bones and internal injuries. But, even in the hospital, their concerns were for each other. _

_"He was saying his chest hurt, but mostly he kept asking, 'Is your Ma okay'? Even laying there like that, he was worried about Ma," said the couple's son, Brian Cooper-Sully, 69, retired reporter for the Boston Globe. "And her head and her stomach were hurting, but she just kept fretting about Pa." _

_When it became clear that the doctors had done all they could, but their conditions were not improving, the couple was moved into a room together, in beds side-by-side where they could hold hands and draw comfort from one another. _

_"They joined hands; his right hand, her left hand," Johnson said. _

_Byron Sully was pronounced dead at 3:38 p.m. He was no longer breathing, but the family was surprised by what happened next. _

_"My sister Colleen, who was holding Pa's left wrist, said, 'Why do I feel his heart still beating?'" Johnson recalled. "The doctor said Pa was picking up Ma's heartbeat through Ma's hand." _

_"And we thought, 'Oh my gosh, Ma's heart is beating through him,'" Johnson said. "That made me cry even harder...because he always called her his 'Heartsong'."_

_Michaela Quinn-Sully died exactly an hour later. _

_"Pa used to say that a good woman was worth waiting for," Cooper-Sully said later. "He waited an hour for her and held the door for her when she was ready." _

"This is amazing," Michaela murmured wistfully, glancing up at her two companions, each sitting on the edge of their seats, and listening intently.

"Mmm hmm," Dorothy agreed. "Turn the page."

Michaela did so, and stopped still, a small gasp of wonder escaping her lips. At the top of the next page was a photograph of a wedding party. She knew, instantly, nearly every person depicted in the gray scaled image. There was Michaela, the train of her off-the-shoulder wedding dress beautifully positioned, Sully standing proudly to her left in his Cheyenne wedding shirt. Also pictured were Grace and Robert E., Horace and Myra, Matthew and Ingrid, the Reverend, Jake, and several more people.

Drawing in a breath, she continued reading softly:

_The inseparable couple was married in 1870 after a yearlong engagement. She, two years his senior, was a licensed MD and the town physician, and she was outspoken and frank. He was an ex-silver miner, later considered a 'Mountain Man' and a friend of the Cheyenne, and he was quiet and 'brooding'. Their friends said there couldn't be two people more in love, or more different, yet somehow in many ways, the same. The town reverend had once even called their love 'remarkable.' _

_"She had traveled from Boston to accept a position as Town Physician for Old Colorado Springs. She was from a wealthy family, while he had been basically a homeless orphan from the age of ten," Cooper-Sully said. _

"_She was beautiful and cultured, with long copper hair and her eyes were two different colors. He was a strikingly handsome man, with long wavy brown hair and vivid blue eyes," Johnson said. _

_The vibrant duo had a "very, very full life." _

_The couple was quite well known in and around Colorado Springs, and a book was even written about the doctor in her later years, "The Life and Times of a Lady Physician," by Dorothy Jennings. "Dr. Mike" and her husband worked as a team in everything. In their early days, he assisted her many times during surgery in her primitive clinic, fashioned from an old boarding house. They traveled together, crusaded for causes they believed in together - even traveling to Washington DC to speak before Congress several times, once concerning the plight of their beloved Cheyenne Indians, and later to attend Senate hearings on the subject of designating the Red Rocks area as a national park – a subject about which they were both fiercely passionate. In 1876, they traveled together into Mexico to rescue their four-year-old daughter Katie, who had been kidnapped. _

_"They were inseparable," Cooper-Sully said. "After a tragic occurrence, which resulted in Pa being on the run for six months in 1872, they were never apart again for more than a week or two at a time, and that would only be when he had to take a job out of town, like surveying. Each time, Ma would worry herself sick until he was home again." _

_Cooper-Sully described his adoptive father as a "quiet, hard working" man who, at age 90, could still work on the roof of the home he had built with his own hands, throw his tomahawk and never miss, or sit cross-legged with no problem. Having spent many years with the local Cheyenne Indians, he could speak the language fluently. "I never heard my Pa cuss, but in his later years, sometimes when he was really angry, you'd hear him mutter things in Cheyenne." _

"_Ma always worked hard, went the extra mile for anybody. She was still doing her doctoring, even at 96. Matter of fact, that's where they were going when they had the accident – someone in town had sent for her and asked for her help. She never turned anyone down that needed doctoring. And of course, Pa drove her there in their Model T, he supported her in everything, always did. He would've been lost without her." _

"Oh Dorothy, this is answering so many questions I've had..." Michaela murmured as she paused again, glancing up at her friend and reaching over to grasp her hand.

"Since meeting Sully and discovering about our amazing ancestors and the depth of their love and devotion...I've always wondered what happened to them...which one passed on first. I'm relieved that one wasn't forced to carry on without the other. Truly, they would have been lost without one another," she finished, instantly making the connection that she would, of course, be devastated to lose her own Sully, and she knew he would feel the same.

Dorothy smiled in agreement and patted Michaela's hand. "I knew you would feel that way. I was pleased, myself, to read of their final moments."

"I can't wait to let Sully read this," Michaela whispered, smiling and then pressing her lips together in expectation.

Glancing back at the article once more, she resumed reading:

_Katherine "Katie" Johnson said it is strange now to go into her parents' home and see the "two white wing-back chairs that they sat in all the time," empty. She said it was in those chairs that her parents often read to the children and grandchildren, and to each other. She loved to read the classics to him, and he loved to read poetry to her. His favorite was Walt Whitman. _

_According to their obituary, the Sullys are survived by their daughter, Katherine Elizabeth Sully Johnson; adoptive children, Dr. Colleen Cooper Cook, and Brian Cooper-Sully, and their older brother, Matthew Cooper; as well as 14 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. They were preceded in death by his Cheyenne 'blood brother' Cloud Dancing, his daughter, Hanna Sully, their son, Josef Loren Sully (killed in action in WWI), and a daughter who was born pre-maturely and lived only six days, Marjorie Rebecca Sully._

_Their grandson, Avery Cook, said he has been inspired in his own 12-year marriage by his grandparents' loving and lasting marriage. _

_"Grandpa and I were talking this summer about all of the people getting divorced for this reason or that**,** and he mentioned that nobody stays together anymore," Cook told Henry Fields, owner of the Colorado Springs' Gazette. "I told [him] that my wife Julie and I would never be getting a divorce**,** and he said, 'That's because you've got a good head on your shoulders and you know a good thing when you find it – you take after me!' _

_"That was one of the greatest compliments I could have ever received and one I will strive to live up to for the rest of my life," Cook said. _

_"Their life from the moment they met was spent together," Cooper-Sully said. "So, when it came to their final resting, the family asked, 'Can we have them put in the casket together? Because they won't rest easy if they are apart from each other.'"_

_The couple was put in a large casket together, their hands entwined, for their funeral this week. _

Tears in her eyes, Michaela looked up at her two friends, who were both touched as well.

"I...I'm not surprised that this is the way their lives ended," she murmured. "When my time comes...I would hope Sully and I could be together also," she added quietly. The other two ladies nodded in quiet agreement.

Each of the three sat musing for a few moments, feeling a strange mixture of sadness and joy regarding the details of the final minutes of two people they had never met, though had been such a profound influence in the lives of so many, including their own.

OOOOOOOO

Later that night in their bedroom, Michaela sat at her vanity, idly playing with the leather cord holding the braid in her hair, deep in thought about many things. Her finished cup of Chamomile tea lay forgotten on the surface.

Sully came in, shutting the door behind him, and moved to the fireplace to stoke the fire and put on more logs. He glanced over at her, brow furrowing, as she didn't seem to notice his entrance. Making short work of his task, he rose to his feet, pausing as he gazed at his wife. _Even large with child, she still takes my breath away,_ he mused with a tiny smile, lifting the edge of his shirt and pulling it off over his head.

Crossing the room to stand behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders, smiling when she met his eyes in the mirror.

"Whatcha thinkin' about so hard?" he asked softly.

Shrugging and averting her eyes, Michaela released the cord and began unbraiding her hair in preparation for bed.

"Nothing...many things," she murmured quietly, meeting his gaze again.

"Things like...Michaela and Sully?" he prompted astutely, tenderly massaging her neck and shoulders as he gently pulled her back against him, his touch like warm velvet.

"I suppose," she admitted softly, gazing up at him, totally vulnerable, his nearness beginning to warm her, as always.

Nodding, he brought his hands up to her hair and began to assist in the unbraiding. She let her hands fall back down to her lap and allowed him to complete the task. Her eyes lovingly caressed the beloved features of his face reflected in the mirror, the warm, flickering firelight outlining the strong angle of his jaw and smoothness of his cheeks and lips.

"You thinkin' about what it'll be like for us?" he guessed, gently coaxing the strands of her hair loose and watching them fall down her back in luxurious waves created from a full day in a tight braid.

Smiling her half grin at how he could always read her mind, she whispered, "Yes," drawing in a relaxing breath as his hands worked their magic on her emotions. "Have you ever...thought about it?" she asked shyly, her eyes meeting and holding his in the mirror.

He pursed his lips for a moment and shrugged. "Sure I have. I guess everybody does now and then."

"I hope...I hope it happens for us...something like it did for them...I mean..._together_," she finally admitted, catching her lip between her teeth as he paused and searched her eyes.

"Me, too," he whispered, "Cause I couldn't live even one minute without you." His eyes held hers as he allowed her to see the veracity of his statement. She held her breath and tears burned her eyes, the depth of his love laid bare for her to see, as he held nothing back.

Smiling softly, he resumed his actions as he raised his hands again, his fingers expertly manipulating the long tresses.

"Mmm, I _love_ to feel your hands in my hair," she purred softly, closing her eyes as she luxuriated in her husband's ministrations. He smiled as he gently massaged her scalp.

"I love to feel your hair in my _hands_," he returned in a murmur, allowing the waist length strands to float through his fingers as a memory rose to the surface.

"Years ago... I sat on a beach in Florida one day just thinkin', starin' at the ocean, lettin' handfuls of powdery sand run through my fingers." He paused for a moment as he remembered. "It was the softest thing I'd ever felt...until the first time I touched your hair," he added in a whisper, bringing a handful of the soft copper mane up to his face to inhale its fragrance.

"Oh Sully," Michaela breathed softly, delighting in his compliment as she gazed up at him. He smiled into her eyes again and turned her on the vanity seat, leaning down to press his lips to hers as he breathed in the familiar scent that was unmistakably _Michaela_...a warm, subtle, unique aroma that never failed to stir him to the depths of his being. He knew that he would never tire of it – or of _her_ – for the rest of their days together, how ever long that would be, and he wondered with a tiny grin if she knew just how easily she held him in the palm of her hand - and how _addicted_ he was to everything that was _Michaela._

Thirty minutes later, after Sully's nightly time of massaging Michaela's legs and tenderly smoothing cream on the tightly stretched skin of her belly, the loving couple snuggled down together in their bed.

Michaela, now dependent upon her pregnancy pillow to ensure she could find a comfortable enough position in which to sleep, finally settled enough to reach back and guide her husband up behind her, bracing her back against his chest, his hand warmly cuddling their child. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Good night, Sully...I love you," she whispered into the flickering shadows of their cozy room.

"I love you, too. 'Night Mé'oo'o," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the back of her head.

As they totally relaxed and drifted off to sleep, each one spent some time communing silently with God, asking Him to watch over and protect their precious spouse, their family and loved ones, and beloved friends – and thanking Him for all He had done in their lives, each one grateful their lives were still marching on.

...

_A/N – Several months ago, I read an article in the news about an Iowa couple married 72 years that died the way you just read in M&S's obituary. It so moved me, it seemed like they were a modern day Michaela and Sully, and gave me the idea for what I did here. _


	26. Angels at the Door

**CHAPTER 26 – ANGELS AT THE DOOR**

"I sure appreciate you doin' this, Sully," Harv Miller said as he helped Sully hold a board in place on an interior wall of the new bedroom. Sully knew he meant his instruction in the building trades.

Sully had sanded and varnished pine wood planks before installing them atop the dry walled and insulated walls, thereby giving the new room the rustic feel of the rest of the house. Harv had been helping him on and off for weeks.

"Heck, you're helpin' _me_, Harv. I appreciate what _you're_ doin'," Sully answered as he held a level to the board they were holding, making sure of the straightness of the lines, before removing a nail from his mouth, and hammering it in place.

Harv waited until Sully was finished nailing the board in place before he added, "Well...it's just that...I'm good at different things," he paused, chuckling a bit. "I was real good at blowin' things up. But I always wanted to learn how to do stuff like this – building things. You've got a real knack for this, Sully," he added.

Sully shrugged in characteristic humility. "Aw, I don't know everything about it...but my dad taught me most 'a what I know, and I kind of taught myself a thing or two over the years. Plus," he added with a grin, "I've watched lots of those how-to shows on TV."

"This room here...it's startin' to look like it was original to the house – like your ancestor that built the place built _it_, too," Harv complimented, running his hand over the finished wall adjacent where they were working.

Sully paused and met the other man's eyes, nodding once in gratitude of the compliment. Harv couldn't have known how much his choice of words blessed his one time nemesis.

"Thanks, man, that's exactly what I'm tryin' to do. I appreciate that, cause Sully...he was one fine craftsman."

"Sully, you are a fine craftsman, as well. Do not sell yourself short," a voice declared from the doorway.

"Mornin' Cloud Dancin'. And thanks," Sully grinned at his brother as the Cheyenne stepped into the room.

"Good morning, Sully. Mr. Miller," Cloud Dancing added as he greeted the other man.

"Aww Cloud Dancing, we've known each other our whole lives. _Mr. Miller_ was my dad and he's dead. Name's Harv," the other man groused playfully. It was his way of trying to 'make up' for all of the times he had insulted Sully's Indian friend.

"Harv," the Cheyenne acknowledged with a smile as he came up next to the man. They stood eye to eye for a moment, and then Cloud Dancing stuck his hand out to the other man, eyebrows raised in invitation. Harv glanced down at it, and then reached to shake hands. Cloud Dancing ignored the manner of contact and moved his arm to clasp with the other man in the traditional Indian way. Harv's eyebrows went up in confusion.

"It is the Cheyenne way to greet a friend," Sully's brother explained, his warm, dark eyes holding a pleasant expression.

"Oh, okay man. Yeah," Harv returned, grasping Cloud Dancing's arm tightly and giving him a jovial smile.

As they turned away, Cloud Dancing caught Sully's eye and they exchanged a look, each thinking, _Dang, how things' change._

OOOOOOO

"You are doing so well, Ingrid. You are quite confident in your driving now," Michaela complimented as the teen maneuvered the car past another, switching into the other lane and back.

"Thanks, Dr. Mike," she returned, grinning at her boyfriend's mother's reflection in the rearview mirror. Dr. Mike and Sully had allowed the girl to practice driving quite a few times in their vehicles, and she had managed to obtain her license, but her mother still would not allow her to practice in the family vehicle, claiming it made her too _nervous._

"Thanks for letting me drive you guys to the mall today," she confessed, speaking of the Chapel Hills Mall on the far side of Colorado Springs. "It'll be the farthest I've driven at one time...and my first time on I-25. And I love your car, Mrs. Slicker," she added, flashing a smile to the woman in the passenger seat as she complimented her 2010 Ford Taurus.

"Gracias, my dear. Believe me, _w__e_ appreciate _you_ offering to be our driver for our little excursion," Teresa returned, her sentiment echoed by the two other pregnant ladies in the back seat.

"Yes. Even though our new truck is nice, it has become increasingly difficult for me to fit behind the wheel. Sometimes I think the doctor is wrong and I am really carrying twins!" Snowbird joked, chuckling and giving her round, tight belly a fond caress.

Michaela nodded in agreement. "I truly don't know how I will make it another seven weeks. I'm afraid my stomach is nearly rubbing the Escalade's steering wheel as it is. The baby seems to be growing straight out," she added with a chuckle.

Teresa turned her head and gave her friend in the back seat a knowledgeable glance, her lips pursed in concentration. "I would say the way you are carrying that baby, Dr. Mike, you are having a boy."

Michaela smiled and brought her hands to her belly, giving it a loving pat. "Everyone keeps saying that...in a way I hope it is true," she admitted quietly, picturing a tiny version of Sully, laughing and playing. "But I think Sully really wants a girl...so I'm torn."

"I cannot believe you still refuse to find out. The _not_-knowing would be driving me loco!" Teresa returned.

Michaela laughed as the others agreed rather vocally. "I know, I know. And there have been quite a few times that I almost relented. But..."

"Yes, we know, you want to pretend you are the pioneer Michaela Quinn in this one thing," Snowbird interjected knowingly.

"It does seem silly, doesn't it," the doctor stated with a wry grin.

"So, what are _you_ two having?" Ingrid asked as she negotiated a turn, glancing in the rear view at Snowbird and then over at the car's owner.

Eager to talk about the subject always foremost on their minds, the ladies launched into it full force.

Michaela smiled, and listened to her friends' lively chatter, glancing out the window at the mountains visible in the distance, feeling totally content with her world.

OOOOOOOO

"Now, the main thing is, don't be scared," Matthew instructed his latest horse riding pupil, Jared Miller. After having completed the Saturday chores in the barn together, seeing the ladies' off on their impromptu outing, but bowing out of working on the bedroom, Matthew had talked his friend into taking his first riding lesson.

"Ha, that's easy for _you_ to say!" the teen returned with a snort.

"Jare, you've been around the horses for months now - you ought to be used to 'em," Matthew intoned, reaching to give Flash a loving rub and scratch on her face.

"Well, I am...kinda. But they're so...big," the boy admitted, reddening a little.

"Yeah, they are," Matthew agreed with a snort. "But that don't matter once you get to know 'em. Sometimes they're like big two-year-olds, they like to tease and play. Watch this," he added, deliberately turning his back to Flash and folding his arms, _ignoring_ her.

Flash had been enjoying Matthew's attention and when he stopped, her large brown eyes regarded his back for a few moments, waiting, and then she lowered her head and gave him a playful shove, as if to remind him she was still there.

Both boys laughed at her antics as Matthew turned back around and resumed his attentions.

"Yeah, well, just as long as you don't want me to ride _Prince_," Jared remarked, glancing at the big black stallion as the magnificent horse snorted in response to hearing his name.

Matthew chuckled. "I won't. Mostly he's Dad's horse anyway, but I've ridden him a few times. Even _he's_ not so scary when he gets to know ya."

"I don't know about this, Matt," the other boy admitted, shoving his hands in his pockets as he regarded the large equine animals.

"It'll be okay. You'll see – once you get used to it, you'll love it. There's nothin' that equals gallopin' on a horse. It feels so...I don't know..._free_. It ain't near as scary as rollin' backward on an ATV probably was," he added with a smirk.

"Hey, don't remind me!" Jared laughed, rubbing a hand over his now healed ribs - very glad the incident hadn't been worse – and glad that no hard feelings remained between he and the Sully family.

Matthew laughed again and drew a beautiful golden horse from his stall.

"C'mere," he motioned to Jared, his one-time enemy, now friend.

When the young man reluctantly stepped up next to him, Matthew reached up to affectionately rub the white patch on the stallion's face, saying softly, "This is Vekay. That's short for Véhonema'kaata, which means 'gold' in Cheyenne. He's Cloud Dancing's horse, but we board him here. He rides him when he stays with us, plus he lets us use him in the riding business. He's a golden palomino stallion. Ain't he awesome?"

"Yeah..." Jared admitted, his eyes traveling over the large horse's caramel colored head and body, noticing the white blond mane and tail, the latter reaching nearly to his hooves.

"Okay...now, when you first try to get to know a horse you wanna ride, you should always look him in the eye and thank him for the gift he's about to give you," Matthew instructed softly.

"Thank 'im?" Jared asked, confused.

"Yep. See animals, especially horses, respond to respect. If you respect _them_, they'll respect _you_. Once a horse knows you, they'll be loyal and serve you – even give his life for ya if it came down to it."

Jared nodded, cautiously raising a hand next to Matthew's on the horse's face and giving him a soft rub.

"Remember the big hail storm?" Matthew asked, glancing at his soon to be riding partner.

"Yeah..."

"Dad, Brian, and Colleen jumped off the horses, and tried to take shelter. Molly there," he motioned with his shoulder to indicate their most skittish mare, "Hightailed it back home, but Prince stayed with Dad, in spite of the fact that he was gettin' pelted with hailstones. But, he loves Dad, so he pushed through his own fear to protect the human he loves."

Jared nodded again, never having thought about animals actually 'respecting' people, nor the need for showing respect to living creatures, other than people. In truth, just a year before, the boy wouldn't have cared about it for one moment...but the young man that Jared had become under the Sullys' patient tutelage had grown much over the months.

"Tell Vekay you'd like to be his friend, and that you're asking for permission to ride him. You know, just because a horse is big and strong don't mean they don't feel us up there on their backs. It's work. Just like if you were to carry Brian on your back for an hour. Horses get tired, same as people. Just takes a lot longer," he added with a half grin.

Clearing his throat, Jared rubbed a hand over the short, warm fur on the stallion's face, looking seriously into one large golden-brown eye as he stood at the horse's side.

"Hey Vekay. That's a real nice name. My name's Jared," he began.

Matthew stood by silently, allowing Jared to take his time and do this on his own.

"I want to be your friend, Vekay. Would it be okay if I rode ya a little? I'd really appreciate it," he added quickly, feeling slightly foolish for 'talking' to a horse.

The horse stared back at the young man, as if sizing him up and searching out his character. Then, almost in answer, he let out a gentle snort, and rocked his head slightly up and down, as if saying yes.

"Ha! He answered me!" Jared laughed, affectionately rubbing the big horse's face, reaching up to scratch his ears.

Matthew laughed in response, patting Vekay's mane. "Yeah, he sure did. Horses understand a lot more than people give 'em credit for," he added with a shake of his head.

For the next little while, Matthew patiently showed Jared the particulars of readying and applying the bridle and saddle, working his way up to the moment Jared would actually climb aboard the large stallion.

OOOOOOOO

The ladies giggled happily as they exited Auntie Annie's Pretzel Shop on the main floor of the mall. Juggling parcels from various shoe, toy, and apparel stores, they held their still warm treats up to take bites as they waddled their way toward nearby benches.

"What kind did you get?" Snowbird asked Teresa after she swallowed a large bite of her raison pretzel.

"Sour Cream and Onion," their friend answered, managing to wipe her mouth on a napkin. "It is delicious," she added, her dark eyes twinkling merrily.

"Mmm, so is mine," Snowbird hummed, biting off another large chunk.

Michaela practically moaned with satisfaction as she swallowed a large bite of her choice, a large warm pretzel topped with toasted almond toffee crunch. She couldn't wait to be able to sit down on the bench so that she could dunk it in the accompanying warm caramel dip.

"My cinnamon and sugar pretzel is outta this world," Ingrid supplied, licking the topping from her mouth as she reached for a napkin.

Nodding, the ladies continued enjoying their treats for the next few minutes, idly watching mall goers walking to and fro.

Suddenly, Michaela chuckled softly, casting a wry grin at her best friend.

"I can hear it now. Sully will ask me how many dill pickles I had with my pretzel."

"And Jacob will ask if I had mine before or after a taco," Teresa interjected, shaking her head in mock frustration. "Men! They can be so aggravating at times. They just do not understand."

"They most assuredly do not," Snowbird agreed, finishing her treat, and wiping her hands.

"What food do _you_ crave the most, Snowbird?" Michaela asked interestedly, using a piece of pretzel to scrape the rest of the caramel from the container.

Snowbird glanced at her friend, and pressed her lips together, leaning close to murmur conspiratorially, "It sounds strange, but I crave banana and pepperoni sandwiches...with cranberry sauce and mayonnaise. Cloud Dancing thinks I have lost my mind," she finished with a snicker.

The other two pregnant females chuckled, nodding in total understanding. Ingrid, however, grimaced and shook her head, her silky blond hair swishing around her shoulders.

"Eww! That sounds disgusting!" she gasped, trying to get the unappetizing concoction out of her mind.

Teresa laughed and patted the young woman's arm. "Just you wait, young one. Someday we will be asking _you_ what is the craving that makes your husband think you are loco."

Ingrid grinned in response, blushing a little at the thought of someday possibly being married to Matthew...and pregnant with his child.

A few minutes later, Michaela commented. "This has been such a lovely adventure, in spite of the fact that my feet are killing me," she added with a chuckle. "I do believe I am ready to get back home and put them up for a rest. How about the rest of you?"

"I agree." "_Amen_."

Ingrid smiled and stood, reaching to help the ladies up as she returned, "Whatever you guys want, I'm your chauffeur for the day."

With a round of chuckles, the ladies began gathering their parcels and bags, and stood to begin making their way to the parking lot.

Several minutes later, climbing inside with their paraphernalia, Michaela continued the ongoing conversation.

"Oh my yes, Beiber fever has hit the Sully household. Yesterday, Hannah and Colleen came home from school raving about 'Justin Beiber's new song'. I believe they have found their replacement for Hannah Montana."

"He is a cute guy...but he's kind of short," Ingrid contributed as she started the engine, grinning as she remembered Matthew's low opinion of the high-voiced singer.

"I have heard of this singer, but I do not know anything about him..." Snowbird offered, glancing into the front seat as Teresa turned her head and nodded agreement.

"I am afraid we are now of the 'older' generation, my friend," the olive skinned hairdresser quipped.

As Ingrid drove the car down North Academy Boulevard, heading toward I-25, Michaela reached for her purse, removing her cell phone as she said to no one in particular, "Mmm, I forgot, Sully wanted me to check in with him..."

"That is a good idea. I think I will see what Jacob is doing," Teresa nodded.

Snowbird nodded and reached for her phone as well.

OOOOOOOO

"Looks great, Dad," Matthew complimented as he stood in the doorway of the new room, admiring the rustic planking on the walls. The interior was coming together nicely.

"Thanks, son," Sully replied, rising from his crouched position in one corner and removing his bandanna from his pocket, wiping his face and neck. "These two have been great help today," Sully complimented the other two men, both of whom smiled in reply as they lowered themselves to sawhorses and boxes to take a break.

"How's the ridin' lesson comin'?" he asked, glancing between the two teens.

Matthew grinned over at his friend, who gave a tiny smile and a shrug. "It was a little rough at first, but after a few minutes, he took to it real good."

"Which horse you ridin'?" Sully queried, turning to perch on top of a three-foot stepladder.

"Vekay," Jared supplied, meeting eyes with Cloud Dancing, who raised his eyebrows, impressed.

"Matthew, you chose Vekay for his first ride?" the Indian queried softly. Not that he thought his stallion would buck the young man off, but one of the mares would usually be better for a first ride.

"Yeah, well, I took him out of his stall and introduced him to Jared, and they hit it off, so I knew it would be okay," he explained, satisfying the two protective and careful horsemen. They both nodded in satisfaction.

"V-K?" Harv questioned, unsure of the significance of the particular horse on which his son was taking his first riding lesson.

"V-e-k-a-y. It's short for Véhonema'kaata. That means 'gold' in Cheyenne," Sully explained. "He's Cloud Dancin's golden palomino stallion."

Just then, Sully's cell phone rang, and he reached to take it off his belt, grinning in pleasure when he saw it was Michaela.

"Hey sweetheart," he answered, missing the teasing grin Harv Miller threw his way.

Cloud Dancing's phone then rang, and he answered it, walking out of the room and into the living room out of courtesy.

Sully listened to his wife for a few moments, grinning and offering little comments as she told him about her outing with her friends. Just as she predicted, he did ask how many dill pickles she had with her pretzel, chuckling at her witty reply.

OOOOOOOO

The ladies had been driving on I-25 for several miles, carrying on a lively conversation about funny baby names.

In the back seat, Michaela and Snowbird sat with their heads together as Michaela showed her best friend her bracelet with the new charm Sully had given her for her birthday. The Cheyenne woman had a good chuckle that it was a teepee.

"I am still thrilled that my idea of putting up the old teepee reaped such wonderful rewards," she quipped with a twinkle in her snappy brown eyes.

"Oh Snowbird...it was a magical week, staying in the teepee, living a little like your ancestors...well, magical with the exception of one evening, of course," she returned softly. Snowbird clasped her hand and their eyes met, each one remembering the traumatic night – but each also grateful at how everything turned out in the end. Michaela smiled at her friend in silent connection.

Glancing out the front window, Michaela noticed the cars in the unusually busy Saturday afternoon traffic were beginning to slow, brake lights coming on. Ingrid applied the brakes, but suddenly the car directly in front of theirs slammed its brakes on, skidding to almost a standstill. Michaela immediately realized they were seconds away from a collision, and braced a hand on the back of the driver's seat.

"Steer into the median!" she yelled in fear, remembering the instructions Sully had once given her that if she were ever in a situation like this, try to steer clear of the vehicle unexpectedly stopping in front of you.

Ingrid immediately complied and jerked the wheel, steering around the other car with millimeters to spare, and continuing on into the grass between the lanes of the north/south highway, which had been soaked by a recent rain. The tires found no traction, however, and the car began to spin sideways out of control.

Squealing in fear, Ingrid slammed on the brakes, her inexperience behind the wheel a large deterrent to the safety of her three very pregnant and very frightened passengers.

"Oh my God!" "¡Dios Mío!" "Jesus, help us!" the ladies screamed simultaneously as the car slid helplessly down the grass between the two sides of the interstate, Ingrid joining in with another scream of primal fear. For Teresa, it brought back all of the fear she had experienced in the pile up.

As if in slow motion, the ladies could see the shocked, open-mouthed expressions on the faces of the stopped drivers they were passing as they helplessly slid on the wet ground. There was nothing they could do, but hold on and pray for Divine help – an angel – anything to stop what seemed the inevitable.

As the vehicle continued to its unknown destination, the white-knuckled women gripping the doors, seats, and the dashboard, their ears filled with each other's screams, Michaela's panicked eyes grew huge as she saw a large, metal guardrail on a direct collision course with the car.

Knowing if they hit the object at the speed they were going, it would be a horrendous crash – Michaela saw a flash of white light just as she shut her eyes and drew in a large breath, screaming out once again with every ounce of force she could muster.

She screamed the one word that came to her mind, the name that always gave her comfort and calmed her fears...the name of the man that she wished with all her heart were there with her at that moment, protecting her as he always did – as he had done since the moment of their first meeting.

"_SULLYYYYYYYY!"_

OOOOOOOO

The teens had grabbed a bite to eat and had been upstairs checking emails, teasing the girls and Brian, and 'hanging out' before going back out to the barn for another short riding lesson, after which Matthew planned to show his friend how to hose off his horse to cool it down. At the moment, they were standing outside the paddock munching on apples, and giving one to each of the horses, as Matthew decided on which trail they would ride next.

The men had gone back to work on the room after their ladies had phoned. A comfortable camaraderie had developed between the three, who at one time had been sworn enemies. Harv, taking a cue from the other men, borrowed the kitchen phone and called his wife just to 'check in' – a recently acquired habit, of which his wife still marveled at each occurrence.

Now hard at work, they were making good time with the interior paneling. Sully was hopeful they would finish that step and be able to move on to trim work, or possibly even some of the electrical fixtures, as he had found several in an antique mall in Colorado Springs, and he was anxious to get them installed.

"Okay, now put the level on it...is it straight?" Sully instructed Harv as he readied the next plank. Harv squatted down and did as he was asked, adjusting the plank a little to the right, assuring it was plumb. Cloud Dancing turned to the pile to pick out the next piece of wood to be installed, as Sully and Harv finished leveling the board.

Readying his hammer to begin nailing, Sully paused for a moment as an odd sensation washed over his body. He felt his heart catch, his breath suddenly squeezed from his chest. Swallowing dryly, he shook his head to try and clear it.

Harv glanced at Sully's face, confusion furrowing his brow as he watched Sully's eyes open wide, staring straight at the wall, while simultaneously dropping the hammer to the floor with a loud clatter.

"Sully? You okay?" he asked in concern, thinking his friend almost appeared to be having a heart attack. Cloud Dancing looked over at his brother as he heard the noise and Harv's question.

Unbeknownst to the other men, Sully had clearly heard the voice of his beloved wife scream his name, so loud it seemed to echo off the walls.

Gasping for breath, he stood unsteadily to his feet, his heart pounding in fear.

"Mm...Michaela!" he gulped, blindly reaching for the wall as her terrified face swam before his eyes.

Cloud Dancing was at his side in a heartbeat, concern etching his features. "What is it, my brother?" he murmured, gripping his friend's arm.

Sully turned panicked blue eyes to his brother, grasping the other man's shoulder. "...Somethin's wrong with Michaela...I...I heard her scream..." he gasped, switching his eyes to the doorway of the room, mentally preparing to dash to her side.

"What's goin' on?" Harv questioned, standing up beside the two men. "I didn't hear nobody scream..."

Cloud Dancing switched his eyes to their friend, explaining simply, "It is their connection."

Before the words left his lips, Sully was already moving, as fast as his feet would take him - toward the door, his truck, and ultimately, his lady. Cloud Dancing fell into step right behind him, now just as anxious about his own wife, frantically sending up prayers that the ladies – all of them – were unharmed. He knew without a shadow of doubt that if Sully heard Michaela scream, it was _real_, and something was terribly wrong.

"What '_connection'_? Where'ya goin'?" Harv managed as he followed, watching as Sully wrenched the front door open. The man hurriedly followed the other two men outside, watching as they practically jumped down the steps and scrambled to Sully's pickup.

Matthew and Jared, in the act of opening the paddock gate, swung around in surprise at the commotion of the front door being wrenched open and two men charging out. Matthew immediately noticed the stricken expression on his father's face.

"Dad! What's wrong?" he yelled, taking a step toward him.

"Your mom's in trouble!" Sully managed as he jerked open the door of his truck.

Instantly realizing that if his mother were in trouble, Ingrid would be also, Matthew's adrenaline kicked into action.

"Oh no...Ingrid!" he murmured, flinging his apple aside, and making a beeline for the truck, managing to dive inside the back door just as Sully put the vehicle in reverse and gunned the motor.

"Do you know where they are?" Matthew yelled as he slammed the back door. Sully swung the pickup around and rammed it into drive, barreling down the gravel driveway, sending rocks and mud flying in all directions, his only clear thought was he had to get to Michaela.

"They're somewhere on I-25," Sully called over his shoulder, his hands gripping the steering wheel, his heart feeling as if it would beat out of his chest. _What is happening, Michaela? _he agonized, still able to feel her fear. Cold dread threatened to choke him as his mind conjured up scenarios of what he would see when he found her – the recent pileup on the _same stretch_ of the highway too fresh in his memory.

As the truck reached the gate and then the head of the drive, he didn't even slow down, but quickly looked both ways as he barreled toward the right, speeding down Hanover as he headed the pickup toward the on-ramp to the expressway.

"Hurry Sully!" Cloud Dancing needlessly urged, unconsciously sitting forward with a hand on the dashboard of the pickup as if he could push it faster.

"Try to get 'em on the phone!" he instructed to the two occupants, the men complying, quickly pressing speed dial buttons – and each waiting anxiously for their beloveds to answer, becoming even more alarmed when both of their ladies' phones went to voice mail.

Harv and Jared, their mouths open as they watched the truck peel out of the driveway and speed down the road, turned and looked at each other, both shrugging, not quite knowing what to make of the other men's actions.

OOOOOOO

The car had stopped.

Mercifully, its tires had suddenly begun plowing up the soft grass and dirt until enough had accumulated to slow and then arrest its momentum.

The women sat in stunned shock, frozen in their respective 'crash ready' positions.

Having been sure of impending collision, they now fought to slow their breathing, quivering with overwrought nerves as they tried to regain some measure of calm.

Placing both hands to her face for a moment, trying to breathe in deeply, Michaela glanced around at the other passengers. "Is everyone all right?" she asked shakily, reaching a quivering hand to Ingrid's shoulder.

"Yes..." "Yes...I think so..." came soft responses.

Beside her, Snowbird drew in a shaky breath, turning to meet Michaela's eyes.

"Oh Michaela...I...I was sure we were going to die..." she whispered, tears erupting from her dark liquid brown eyes, and making their way down her smooth caramel cheeks.

Michaela reached for her friend, as far as their seat belts would allow, wrapping her arms around her and drawing Snowbird's head against her neck, rocking her gently, and smoothing her silky black hair.

"I know...I thought so, too," she whispered, one tear slowly descending down her face.

"I...I saw my whole life with Cloud Dancing...all our years...and I saw his face, twisted in agony..." her friend confided softly. "My heart was breaking that we would never hold our child. I kept thinking...what will Cloud Dancing do without me...?"

Michaela nodded in total understanding, for she had experienced some of the same. She wondered fleetingly if Sully had felt her fear. She hoped so...she hoped fervently that he was on his way to her at that moment, as she desperately needed to feel his arms around her. _Perhaps I should call him..._

Just then, two cell phones began to ring, but they were muffled. Ingrid's had slid off the seat and disappeared somewhere in the interior. Snowbird's had fallen out of her purse, along with many other items, and also disappeared under the seat. Ingrid began searching and reaching, but couldn't put her hand on either one.

Beginning to come out of her nearly catatonic state, and glancing around at their surroundings, the sound of the phones ringing clearing her head a little, Teresa mumbled, "I...I must call Jake..." as she numbly reached into her purse for her phone.

The women now began to cast their gazes around, realizing that they had become the reason for a major backup – both directions – on the interstate. The northbound lanes had slowed to a crawl as 'rubberneckers' tried to see if anyone was injured in the white car now splattered in mud near the overpass. Several Good Samaritans had pulled off onto the shoulder of the southbound lanes, the drivers making their way toward the stricken vehicle.

A man reached the car, peering inside, relieved to see that no one seemed injured – especially since the car contained three very pregnant women. He rapped on Teresa's window and she slowly turned to acknowledge him as she waited for Jake to answer his phone, moving to roll the window down.

"You ladies okay? I saw the whole thing, and I was sure you were goners," he added, not realizing the effect his words would have as each woman felt a shiver run through her body.

"Yes, we're unharmed," Michaela answered from the back seat.

"Si, gracias señor," Teresa murmured.

"That was some good maneuvering, little lady," he added as he glanced toward Ingrid.

"It was?" she asked, emitting a shaky laugh, since she had merely panicked and shut her eyes.

"Yep. Even though it was going sideways, you kept it from flipping. I'd say that was some pretty fancy driving," he added with an encouraging smile.

Several other drivers reached the vehicle then, converging on both sides to see if they could be of help. The two that rounded to the driver's side reacted visually, their expressions revealing shock and amazement.

The first man, his attention caught by a commotion some ways up the northbound lanes, squinted his eyes, muttering, "What's _that_ fool doing?"

Michaela turned her head, squinting through the mud-splattered window, and recognized her husband's pickup barreling down the emergency lane, headed toward them.

"It's Sully," she whispered, shaking in reaction as she watched her husband quickly maneuver his truck off the road and over to their stopped vehicle.

"Michaela!" he yelled as he opened his door, barely taking time to slam the gears into park. Cloud Dancing and Matthew disembarked also, all three men heading toward the ladies' car, each one glad that, at least, it didn't appear to be wrecked.

Sully eyes reacted with shock as he passed the driver's side, heading toward the more accessible passenger doors. Wrenching open Snowbird's door, he stepped aside a bit to allow his brother to carefully help his own wife out of the vehicle, Sully striving to curb his impatience as he waited to be able to touch his beloved.

Their eyes met as he stooped down to gaze worriedly inside. Michaela gave him a tremulous smile, longing for his reassuring touch.

"Šehe, mé'oo'o, háama'tov?" the concerned Cheyenne asked his wife as she stood on her feet and went into his arms._ [tr: __Snowbird, sweetheart, are you hurt?]_

"Hová'âháne, naéhame, oóxésta," she replied softly as she cuddled against his neck, closing her eyes and drinking in the comfort of being safe in her husband's arms. _[tr: No, __my husband__, I am fine]_

As Matthew anxiously circled around to Ingrid's driver door, his eyes widening in horror when he glanced to the right, Sully had the presence of mind to switch his eyes to Teresa and lay a hand on her arm. Smiling up at him and nodding in reassurance that she was unharmed, he edged past Snowbird and climbed over to his still-belted wife.

The other men who had stopped to help glanced at each other. "You guys need us to help with anything?" they asked Cloud Dancing and Matthew. They declined the offer with thanks and the men nodded, turning to go back to their own cars, satisfied that the women were now in good hands.

"Oh my God, Michaela...I was so scared," Sully whispered as he folded her in his arms, cradling her head against his neck, one hand gently caressing her hair, the other arm wrapped tightly around her back.

"So was I," she managed, finally beginning to relax a little now that she was safely ensconced in her husband's loving arms.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, eyes shut tight as he allowed himself to calm, now that his Heartsong was in his arms again.

"Yes...we are all fine, thank God," she murmured, breathing in her husband's familiar scent with a sigh.

"What happened?" he asked softly, though not changing position, still needing to maintain their contact.

"The...the traffic began stopping...Ingrid veered into the median to avoid rear-ending the car in front of us...but we immediately spun out of control..."

Turning his head, he looked out the open car door, from which he could see the yards long path gouged in the soft earth. "Dang, you were lucky it didn't flip!"

"Yes...oh Sully...I know all four of us were sure we were about to die. I was so frightened...and I...I screamed your name..."

At that, he pulled back a bit so that he could see into her eyes. His, so vividly blue, stared into the dappled browns and greens of hers as he whispered softly, "I know...I heard you – just as plain as if you were in the room with me."

Fresh tears sprang to her eyes then, and she leaned in to brush his lips with hers, whispering, "Oh Sully...I love you so much."

He returned the soft kiss, tilting his head until their foreheads were touching. "I felt your fear, and I knew something terrible had to be happenin'. I thought I'd lose my mind tryin' to get to ya..."

"We were so relieved when the car stopped..."

"_Relieved._ That's puttin' it mildly."

She pulled back a little and gazed at him questioningly. At her look, he murmured, "Didn't you look out your window?"

She shook her head and he raised his eyebrows. "C'mere," he said, climbing out and assisting her to shinny her way to the edge of the seat and stand up.

Wrapping his arm around her, he walked her to the other side of the car. She took one look and her knees went weak at the sight that met her eyes. There, a mere inch from touching her door was the jagged, rusted, mangled end of a large steel guardrail that had apparently been the victim of a previous crash, and not yet replaced. One look told them both it had the capability to slice through her door like melted butter – and in the process, would have sliced through her and the baby, and maybe even Snowbird, as well.

"Ya must have had an angel lookin' out for ya," Sully murmured gently.

Michaela turned from the horrific sight and buried her face in the side of Sully's neck again; quite ready to depart the scene and get back home where she and the baby would be safe.

"Take me home, Sully...please," she murmured softly.

He nodded affirmatively, turning to the others to begin making arrangements as he continued to hold her in his arms, just as the assembled group saw Jake come driving up quickly in the couple's other car.

OOOOOOOO

The four men spent many minutes rocking the car free of the mud, all the while being the objects of attention from every vehicle in both directions. Matthew had volunteered to drive the Taurus to Robert E.'s for a checkup to make sure the steering and suspension were all right after the incident, so Sully had followed in order to bring the teens back to the house. Each grateful husband, including Jake, made sure he kept his wife snug at his side for the ride back.

It was an emotionally exhausted group that rode back to the homestead in Sully's pickup. Ninety minutes after Sully heard Michaela scream, he pulled up next to the house and turned off the motor.

Matthew hopped out and opened the back door to help Ingrid from the back seat as Harv and Jared came down the steps, having stayed at the house to help out if need be, depending on the trouble. They had yet to be told what had happened.

"So...everything's alright then?" Jared asked as he met his friends, noticing the glimpses between the two.

"Yes, thank God," Ingrid murmured, casting her eyes down in shame.

Matthew immediately reacted, wrapping an arm around her. "Hey, you didn't do nothin' wrong. Accidents happen every day – especially on the highway – and you kept from plowin' into the car that slammed on their brakes in front of ya," he encouraged, tipping her chin up with a finger to force her to look at him. "Ya did great, Ingrid. I'm proud of ya," he added softly.

"I panicked...I almost got us all killed," she argued, albeit somewhat weakly, as Matthew's heartfelt words were starting to ease her angst. The two couples they had ridden with in the pickup had contributed to that as well.

"But ya didn't," Matthew returned with a gentle smile.

Sully still sat in his seat, one arm around Michaela, each just basking in the fact that they were home again and no one had injuries to deal with – and no sorrow to suffer.

"Ya okay?" he asked after a few moments.

"Yes...just very grateful and relieved," she answered softly, meeting his eyes.

"Seems like we've had one close call after another, practically since we said 'I do'," he quipped, trying to make a little joke and get his beautiful wife to smile.

It had the opposite effect, however, and Michaela swallowed dryly, a shadow seeming to pass over her vision.

Just then, the girls and Brian came charging out of the house and up to the pickup.

"Mom! You okay?" "We heard you had a wreck!" "Is the baby alright?" they asked simultaneously, bombarding their parents with questions.

"C'mon, let's get on in the house and we'll tell ya all about it, it's getting' chilly," Sully responded, opening his door and sprinting around to the other side to help Michaela maneuver across the bench seat.

"Kids, get the bags in the back seat for me, will ya?" he requested as he helped his wife from the truck's front seat. Cloud Dancing and Snowbird had already exited and were climbing the steps to the house.

"So...what the heck happened?" Harv asked – to anyone who would answer. The suspense of not knowing had really gotten under his skin.

Sully grinned and clapped his friend on the back at they climbed the stairs. "C'mon back inside, I wanna get Michaela situated," he offered.

"Sully, I'm fine," she countered, but he was having none of it, dropping the bags at the door before steering her over to the couch and helping her to sit. "You just got over havin' them bad pains, and I ain't takin' no chances," he insisted firmly.

For the next few minutes, the different participants recounted the ordeal from their perspectives, including a tearful narration from Ingrid. When questioned about not answering their cell phones, Ingrid explained how they had gotten misplaced.

Finally, Michaela mentioned that just as she shut her eyes before what she thought would be the impact, she had seen a flash of bright white light.

Large-eyed, Ingrid turned to her, Snowbird also, commenting that they, too, had seen a flash of light.

"Well, ladies, it seems to me that you were well cared for today. I would say you had angels at the car doors, and they protected all of you from harm. Prayers were answered," Cloud Dancing declared quietly.

Every person in the room felt chill bumps for a moment as the realization of that sunk in.

"Well, I'll say one thing – that was the darndest thing I've ever seen when you heard your missus scream like that," Harv commented, causing Sully to glance at his wife, sitting pressed against his side. Smiling softly, he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, brushing her knuckles with a kiss.

"I thought he was havin' a heart attack or somethin' – then the next thing I knew, he flew out the door like a fireman to a three alarm fire," Harv joked as the others in the room chuckled, each of them having witnessed Sully's uncanny ability to sense when his wife was in danger.

"Well, I know one thing...no, several things," Michaela declared, enfolding her husband's hand in hers and gazing around the room.

"I feel very blessed tonight to have a husband, and friends and family, that care about me. I feel very much in awe of God's ability to watch out for me and for those I love. And, I feel very tired and would very much like a nap before dinner," she added with a chuckle.

Sully and the others laughed and he took the hint, rising and helping her to stand and make her way upstairs for a long over due rest, each very happy that _rest_ was all she needed after the events of the day.


	27. A Touch of Paranoia

**CHAPTER 27 – A Touch of Paranoia**

Michaela moaned softly, her face showing a slight grimace, as she lay asleep in their bed, snuggled within her big fluffy maternity pillow and Sully's arms.

Vague, shadowy, elusive images in her mind – like a distorted mirror in a carnival sideshow - only hinted at a feeling of danger. She couldn't put her finger on exactly what that danger was, but the Michaela in her mind sat frozen, while ghostly caricatures ebbed and flowed just out of reach.

Moaning again, though so softly it didn't wake Sully, Michaela saw in her mind, as if watching a scene from The Wizard of Oz, swirling storm clouds bearing down on her as she sat unmoving on a kitchen chair, seemingly helpless. Hail began to beat at the walls and windows. The house began to shake and groan. Dust from over 100 years emerging from cracks and crevices as the twister surrounded her home like a malevolent monster, searching for a way inside. The sounds – wind, thunder, and a kind of muffled, almost insidious laughter seemed to surround her, heightening her sense of foreboding and fear.

The dream Michaela opened her mouth to scream for Sully, but no sound emerged – it was as if her vocal chords were immobile.

Paralyzed with fear, she could only watch as a man with a gun came floating past the kitchen window, staring in at her, his face peculiarly devoid of emotion. As her eyes widened in terror, he raised the gun, aimed it at her stomach, and slowly began to squeeze the trigger. The dream Michaela tried to turn away, to protect her baby, but her limbs would not respond. Desperately afraid, she flinched and shut her eyes, waiting for the pain...but none came.

When she dared open her eyes, hesitatingly training her gaze back to the window, the man had been replaced by a huge, mangled piece of steel, heading directly toward the house – and her chair. Just as it crashed through the glass, Michaela screamed, thrusting her hands forward as if to somehow hold the 'monster' at bay.

Sully was awake in an instant, hovering over his wife, startled from sleep by her scream.

"Chaela? Sweetheart, wake up," he murmured, reaching one hand over to caress her outstretched arms, shaking his head to clear the vestiges of sleep.

She moaned a little, and he shook her gently, striving to pry her from the grip of the nightmare.

"Michaela...Michaela wake up...you're okay..."

Her eyes opened and she realized gratefully that it had only been a nightmare, that she was safe in their room...safe in her husband's arms.

"Sully!" she gasped, swallowing hard as she fought to come fully out of the nightmarish world of shadows and danger.

"You're safe...it's all right," he whispered lovingly.

"Hold me," she bleated, almost like a child, and he didn't hesitate to fulfill her request. Sliding further up in the bed so he could rest his back against the headboard, he helped her disengage from the enveloping pillow and turn toward him, folding her in his arms and rocking her gently.

Michaela closed her eyes as she felt the familiar roughness of his chest hair under her cheek, breathing in his precious scent and feeling his warmth – effectively chasing away the mental discomfort and helping her to start to relax.

After several minutes, he moved a hand to smooth wisps of her hair back from her forehead.

"What were ya dreamin' about?" he murmured softly.

An involuntary shiver immediately rushed through her body and she swallowed dryly.

"Just weird...distorted images...danger all around me...I couldn't move...she whispered, her eyes still shut, not wishing to recite and relive the actual happenings in the dream.

"I hate those kind of dreams," he whispered. "But it's over now. You're safe. I ain't gonna let anything hurt ya."

Her lips formed a tremulous smile and she hugged him even closer, truly grateful for his presence, understanding, and unconditional love. "I know you won't. I love you, Sully."

"I love _you_," he returned immediately, leaning to press his lips to the top of her head, almost like he used to comfort Hannah when she had a bad dream.

After a few more minutes, feeling stronger, Michaela leaned back and gazed into his eyes in the moonlight. He leaned in and brushed her lips with his. "You okay now?"

"Yes...I'm sorry I woke you..." she offered, reaching up to smooth a lock of his wavy hair.

With a playful shrug, he murmured, "Ahh, I'm used to it. At least I don't have to go out in the cold," he added with a chuckle.

"Indeed," she agreed with a tiny grin. With that he helped her turn back into her pillow and get settled again, both of them relaxing back into an attitude of sleep.

Michaela, however, lay awake for some time, staring at the red coals in the hearth.

OOOOOOOOO

"Chaela? Chaela, wake up...it's time to get ready for church," Sully's warm voice murmured near her ear, gently waking her from the short amount of sleep she had finally managed to attain.

She blinked her eyes open slowly, squinting at the bright sunshine beaming in through the window.

"Wha...hmm?" she murmured, bringing a hand up to try and rub the sleep from her head.

"C'mon, sleepy head," Sully joked, taking hold of the cover and tossing it to the side. "I let you sleep while everybody dressed," he informed his drowsy wife. "But now ya got just enough time ta get dressed and eat a bite if we don't wanna be late," he added, one hand caressing her hip as he gazed lovingly down at her.

"All right," she yawned tiredly, allowing him to remove the cocooning pillow and take her hands, gently pulling her to a sitting position.

"So...whatdya wanna wear?" he offered helpfully, stepping to the closet and glancing back over his shoulder at her.

"Umm...my Valentine top...and those black slacks," she decided sleepily, trying to stifle another yawn and gesturing toward a pair of slacks lying over the back of a chair near the closet.

"Good choice...ya look sexy in those," he teased with his dimpled grin.

"Sexy?" she returned, her lips forming her customary half smile. "Then I certainly shouldn't wear them to _church_."

"I was just teasin'," he murmured, bringing the items near. "Seein' you in 'em reminds me of Valentine's night, I guess...and takin' 'em off ya," he added cheekily.

"Byron Frederick, behave yourself. You should be readying your mind for things of the Spirit, not of the flesh," she admonished in what she hoped was a firm tone.

Duly chastised, he inclined his head, though the twinkle in his eyes gave him away as he murmured, "Yes ma'am."

OOOOOOO

As they rode along down Hanover, Sully driving the Escalade, Cloud Dancing and Snowbird in the back seat, and the girls and Brian riding with Matthew in Sully's pickup, Michaela reached for her purse to retrieve a tissue.

"Hey, stay in your lane, fella," Sully commented as an unknown car, coming the opposite direction, veered slightly into their lane.

Michaela looked up just as Sully veered to the right to avoid the other car. Instantly hurled into full panic, she opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs, bracing her hands on the dashboard and turning her face sharply to the right, squinting her eyes tightly shut.

Sully immediately pulled off to the side of the road, throwing the vehicle in park, his wife's outburst unnerving him.

"Michaela, what'd you _do_ that for?" he fussed, turning his head to give her a stern look. "You almost made me..." he paused, his aggravation turning to concern as he saw the expression of terror still on her face.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, gulping in large amounts of air, raising a hand to her face and then to her chest as she tried to calm her racing heart.

"Hey...it's all right," he soothed, belatedly realizing the near miss would trigger recent terrifying memories. He reached out toward his wife, his right hand caressing the back of her head as he turned his head and glanced into his brother's concerned eyes.

Although Snowbird had reached to grip her husband's hand at the unexpected moment of danger, she had immediately calmed when the vehicle passed leaving them unscathed. Now, she reached her right hand forward, touching Michaela's shoulder. "Michaela...are you all right? It frightened me, too, for a moment..."

Drawing in a deep breath and forcing herself to appear calm, Michaela smiled at her husband and reached to pat her friend's hand, nodding. "Yes...yes I'm fine. I'm sorry I over-reacted. It was just..." she paused and gave a small shrug, unsure how to articulate her feelings at the exact moment of fright.

"We understand," Cloud Dancing assured softly. "You were involved in a very close call yesterday. It is not unusual that your nerves would still be on edge."

"Yeah," Sully nodded, leaning forward as he tried to catch Michaela's gaze, trying to ascertain her thoughts. Finally she met his eyes and nodded in agreement.

"I suppose," she added softly, switching her eyes to Sully's window as Matthew arrived, knocking and looking inside to find out the reason his parents pulled over.

Sully rolled his window down and assured him they were fine, that Michaela had just been momentarily startled by the carelessness of the other driver.

Soon, they were back on the road to church, the incident fading from their minds...well, all minds except one.

OOOOOOOO

Michaela managed to appear her normal, upbeat self throughout the service...singing along with the praise songs, though her mind was not completely engaged, and responding to comments and conversations around her afterwards as she silently fought to stay focused.

As the happy family arrived back home, Sully noticed the fatigue and almost listlessness on his beloved's countenance as he helped her from their vehicle, the kids running and laughing as they bounded up the stairs.

"Mé'oo'o...why don't you sit down on the couch and rest while we get lunch together?" he murmured as he helped her remove her coat.

"Oh no...I'm fine...I can help..." she of course protested, wiping a hand over her face as if to wipe away the unseen fatigue.

"You didn't get much sleep last night..." Sully began, striving to get her to acquiesce without ruffling her Irish stubbornness.

Snowbird glanced at her friends, instantly perceiving the struggle of wills. In her customary 'feisty' way, she took charge.

"Michaela, you go on in to the living room and rest on the couch while the girls and I prepare lunch," her friend insisted, taking hold of Michaela's arm and gently leading her into the larger room. "They have been asking me for another lesson in Cheyenne cooking, and I promised not to disappoint them."

Sully went directly to the fireplace and kindled a fire to warm the large room, still a bit chilly despite the warmer early spring temperatures.

Outnumbered and not really having the energy to argue, Michaela conceded with a shrug and a small smile, settling down on the comfortable couch.

"There," Sully murmured a few minutes later, leaning over to give his wife a quick smooch as he covered her lightly with a throw cover. "You just rest for awhile and you'll feel much better, ok?"

She nodded, forcing a smile and reaching up to caress his face before he turned and made his way into the kitchen with the others.

Michaela lay quietly, gazing at the flames in the fireplace, and listening to the familiar sounds of her family – the kids clomping around, faint playful arguments in the hall upstairs, and the warm voice of her beloved engaged in conversation with his brother as they sat together at the kitchen table.

Slowly, her eyelids began to get heavy and she slipped into a nap, her body able to totally relax for the first time since the nightmare the previous evening.

After awhile, however, the comforting images of her dreams slowly became something else entirely. In her mind, the wind picked up around the house again, hailstones beginning to pelt the surface of the dwelling, first one, then two, then six, then so many they couldn't be counted. The dream Michaela looked around frantically for Hannah, knowing they needed to get into the cellar, but the girl was nowhere to be found.

Michaela opened her mouth to yell for her daughter, when suddenly she saw the man at the kitchen window again, only this time he was holding a nail gun aimed directly at her stomach. A sound escaped her throat, almost a pitiful mewling sound, like a kitten, as the dream Michaela shook her head frantically, begging the 'shooter' to spare her and her child.

She tried to turn away, but a hand on her arm stopped her from moving. "NO!" she shouted, managing to fling the offending hand off her arm as she struggled to sit up on the couch, gasping for breath as she prepared to run for her life.

A small squeal, however, managed to penetrate the fog of fear and her eyes opened. There sprawled on the floor lay Brian, startled at the violent reaction his mother displayed as he had tried to wake her up for lunch.

"I'm sorry, Mom..." he began as Sully quickly rounded the couch in concern.

"What happened?" he asked, reaching down to help his son off the floor as he searched his wife's face.

"I...I'm sorry...I was dreaming that someone was...was trying to..." she stammered to a halt, pressing her hands momentarily to her face as she fought to compose her frazzled nerves. Seeing her son looking so confused and hurt cut through her angst and she reached out for him, drawing him into her arms for a warm hug, rocking him back and forth until she felt him respond.

"I'm sorry, Brian..." she whispered. "I was having a nightmare...I didn't mean to take it out on you..."

"That's all right, Mom. I'm sorry you were havin' a bad dream..." the boy responded, hugging his mother, his face snuggled against her neck.

Michaela raised her eyes to meet those of her husband and she saw the worry within their blue depths. Glancing around at the others who had gathered in the large room in concern, Michaela cleared her throat and took in a deep breath, embarrassed beyond words that she had flung her young son to the ground in reaction to a dream.

Attempting a bit of her normal humor, she allowed Brian to stand, offering her hands to he and Sully in a silent request for help off the couch as she asked brightly, "Well, that nap seems to have made me quite hungry. What Cheyenne dish did you girls learn to make today?"

The girls glanced at each other, Snowbird, their dad, and finally back to their mother as Hannah murmured, "Venison soup and dumplings..."

"I can't wait to try it," Michaela returned, forcing a smile as the others turned to lead the way to the dining table.

Sully, however, saw completely through her ruse, knowing she was still almost as upset as when she first woke up. He sidled up next to his wife, leaning to murmur close to her ear, "You okay? You have that same dream again?"

Brushing his concern aside, she glanced up at his face, assuring brightly, "I'm fine, Sully. Fine. Just hungry."

Concerned, but unable to _make_ her accept his help or comfort, Sully sighed in resignation and held out her chair, his eyes meeting Cloud Dancing's over her head.

The girls' lunch was a big success and for the rest of the afternoon and evening, everything seemed to be getting back to normal in the Sully household.

OOOOOOO

That night, however, the nightmares returned with a vengeance.

Michaela quivered and gasped in fright in her sleep, prompting Sully to rouse yet again. The fact that this seemed to be happening continually began to concern Sully greatly, as he gently woke her and held her in his strong arms until the fear subsided and she was reasonably calm.

After waking from the first one, Michaela was afraid to go back to sleep. Climbing from her pillow nest to use the restroom, she made her way quietly downstairs afterwards, spending long minutes slowly pacing around the living room, trying to reason away the strange dreams as the two malamutes quietly watched from their resting places in front of the banked fire.

She had never before been subject to nightmares. The fact that these were so vivid, and getting progressively worse, was threatening to totally unnerve the normally levelheaded doctor.

_What is wrong with me? _She fretted silently, pausing near the front window to gaze out at the dark but peaceful landscape. _I've got to get hold of myself...I can't go on like this, not getting any sleep. Sooner or later, it will begin to affect the baby... Why do I keep dreaming about the hail storm...and a man with a gun...the nail gun – that wasn't even something __I__ experienced...it was Matthew...I've simply __**got **__to stop this before..._

"Chaela?" She jumped with a startled cry as her thoughts were interrupted by Sully's quiet voice directly behind her. She hadn't even heard his approach, she had been so deep in thought.

"Hey..." he murmured quickly, reaching out to pull her in his arms. "Sorry...didn't mean to startle you..." he whispered, cradling her head against his neck. "I woke up and your side of the bed was cold...whatdya doin' down here?"

"I'm...um..." she hesitated, for some reason unable to share with her husband what had become her 'phobias', thinking he would make light of them or worse yet, think she was losing it.

"Are the nightmares still just distorted images? Nothin' you can put your finger on...?" he asked, striving to help her get to the bottom of what ever was bothering her.

Michaela shut her eyes tightly, the images from her dreams the last thing of which she wanted to be reminded. "I...I don't want to talk about it, Sully..." she murmured softly.

"You gotta face your fears to get over 'em, sweetheart," Sully encouraged. "If you keep 'em down, they just get worse."

Pulling back from his embrace a little, Michaela attempted a smile of reassurance. "I'm all right. I just...I think something I ate today disagreed with me...I'll be fine...I took something for it," she hedged, hating that she was partially lying to her wonderful husband. She had, in fact, felt a bit of indigestion and had taken some bicarbonate...but that was _not_ why she was pacing the living room. She knew Sully wanted desperately to help her through this situation – as she would want to help if it were happening to _him_...but at that moment she didn't even know the reason for the trouble.

Looking up and seeing the raw concern in her husband's loving eyes, however, she relented a bit and permitted him to escort her back upstairs to bed, allowing him to resettle her inside the nest of the big pillow and his arms, her back securely braced against his body.

Assuring him once again that she was fine, she resolutely closed her eyes, willing herself to have a normal, peaceful sleep. She remained awake, however, long after Sully's quiet, steady breathing let her know he was once again asleep.

OOOOOOOO

Several days went slowly by, with the children and Sully, as well as Snowbird and Cloud Dancing growing increasingly concerned about Michaela.

Unable to get much more than an hour's sleep at one time, she had taken to napping during the day, trying to supplement her depleting reservoir of rest – all the while making excuses for her agitation. The children or Sully had made it a habit to be nearby, protectively watching for her to show any sign of being in the throes of a nightmare, whereby they would immediately, but gently, wake her up. That both helped and hindered her state of progressive exhaustion.

Everyone in the family had tried, separately and in teams or a group, to 'talk' their mother/friend out of this all-consuming problem. Snowbird spent hours sitting with her friend, trying to get her to open up about the nature of the dreams, but she remained sketchy on details, determined for some reason even she did not understand, to take care of the problem herself.

On Thursday afternoon, Michaela lay on her side in bed, her body drained of energy, but her mind on overdrive. _Why can't I figure out what is causing this? Why can't I master it, like every other challenge I've faced in my life? _She fretted silently, her hands balled into fists as if by sheer force of strength, she could push the plaguing dreams away.

She thought about the afternoon before. Sully had asked the Reverend if he would stop by and talk to Michaela. Their pastor had gently encouraged and shared some wonderfully familiar Scripture regarding casting your cares upon the Lord, and reminding her of the story of Elijah the prophet's time of fear and uncertainty – one minute victorious against 450 prophets of Baal and by his prayer God sent rain after three years of drought - yet after Jezebel threatened him with death, he ran for his life, devoid of faith, totally panicked and even praying to die.

It made sense that sometimes a person can begin suffering from a load of fear brought on by the devil, and that prayer should take care of the problem...but after an eloquent and heartfelt prayer by the Reverend, she felt no better. That in itself made her feel worse, because most of her adult life, she had counted on God to help in time of need. Indeed, she knew she would not have made it through six years of marriage to David without God's Divine help...

But now... what had happened to her faith? What was happening to her logical mind? She desperately longed for an answer, some insight, _something_ to relieve this situation!

A thought occurred. _Perhaps something like this happened to Michaela. If so...whatever Michaela used to remedy the problem will surely work for me as well..._ She glanced at the closed bedroom door before laboriously scooting and rolling out of bed, waddling over to Sully's dresser and pulling open the top drawer, drawing out the treasured tome. Once again, she determined to reach back to the past to the eloquent words of her ancestor to help her find her way through the present.

Cradling the cherished volume, she settled herself back in bed, listening to make sure she did not hear Sully's footsteps coming to the room, as she remembered the last time he had caught her reading the journal and he might feel the same this time as well – that it would do her more harm than good...but she HAD to see...

Quickly scanning page after page, all the way past Sully's fall from the cliff and the arduous months he spent in hiding, past the joyous time of his homecoming and mundane entries about her patients or the children, Michaela almost gave up on finding anything, but her heart sped up a little when she turned a page – the previous date some time in early January, 1873, the next not until March.

As Michaela read the words her ancestor had penned, her mouth went dry, as once again, the similarities between the two women's circumstances were unnerving...

_**March 11, 1873**_

_**It has been many weeks since I have written my thoughts down in this journal. Indeed, my thoughts have been what I wished more than anything to escape from, so I certainly did not want them inscribed forever in book form. But now that I am, finally, blessedly, on the other side of my long ordeal, I can once again breathe easily and will just put down for the sake of memory the basic details of my time of suffering.**_

_**Mere days after Sully came home, having been pardoned and his name cleared, and the family enjoyed a wonderful Christmas together...I was shot, point blank, by a man who held a strong grudge against all doctors. Just standing in the doorway of my clinic...I opened the door...he asked me if I was the doctor, and then...he pulled out a gun and shot me, giving me no time to react or try to talk him out of his intent. **_

_**The bullet entered near my left shoulder, and according to Andrew, it creased the subclavian artery. Cloud Dancing told me later that although my young colleague was under tremendous pressure, as he had never done the procedure before, he performed admirably. Andrew saved my life.**_

Michaela paused a moment, resting her head back against the headboard. _Michaela_ had also been shot by a crazed 'shooter'...but her injury was much worse and the situation far more conducive to unreasoning fear than her own..._nonetheless, something in the narrative is sure to help,_ she told herself with continuing hope. Lowering her eyes again to the elegant script, she continued to read:

_**I don't remember much after the shooting... vague recollections of fighting off unconsciousness and seeing Hank's concerned face hovering over me. I recall him picking me up and shouting orders...something about getting a wagon. By the time they got me in the wagon, however, the pain and loss of blood had rendered me unconscious. I don't remember anything else until I woke up in a bed in the chateau...Sully's dear, concerned face gazing at me...the children surrounding him. My thoughts immediately went to Katie, terrified that somehow the shooter had attacked her also, but Colleen immediately assured me she was fine. After that I must have slipped back into unconsciousness again...**_

_**After several days at the chateau, under the watchful care of both Sully and Andrew, Sully took me home and I spent two weeks convalescing. My body healed...but my mental and emotional health became worse with each passing day. I immediately began having nightmares, reliving the shooting over and over, each dream more sinister and terrifying than the last. I've never experienced such sheer blinding, paralyzing fear...**_

Michaela unconsciously nodded as she read her ancestor's words. This was exactly how she had been feeling! _Oh God, please let this text hold the key for me! _She took a deep breath and continued...

_**It embarrassed me to be so frightened – I've always been strong, jumping into situations when others hold back...never one to be superstitious or to fall for hoaxes such as the infamous comet that would 'end the world'. But...I couldn't conquer this. I finally told Sully, the night everything came to a head, that the more I tried to control the fear, the more I tried to tell myself not to feel it...the stronger it got. **_

_**A storm came, thunder, lightning, wind...I had bathed Katie standing at the kitchen sink, and we had just moved away to get her dry, when lightning struck the big oak next to the house and a huge limb thrust itself in the window, smashing the sink. **_

_**I don't know why or how, but this snapped me out of the paralyzing fear. I realized that there are things in this world we can't control, and we just have to carry on the best we can, hoping and praying for the best. I had no nightmare that night, and by the next morning, the fear was all but totally gone.**_

Michaela laid the volume gently in her lap, a sigh of disappointment escaping her lips. _A big limb crashing in the kitchen window snapped her out of the fear?_ She shook her head, totally discouraged, for the first time feeling her beloved namesake had thoroughly let her down – and in her darkest hour.

OOOOOOOO

Some time later, Sully crept softly to the door of the bedroom he shared with his precious wife. Leaning his ear to the wood, he couldn't discern any noise inside, so he carefully turned the knob and opened the door, hoping to see his wife peacefully asleep.

His brow furrowed in concern when he saw her – curled on her side into her fluffy pillow sound asleep...the journal clasped to her chest, and the evidence of tears dried on her cheeks.

He moved silently into the room, standing next to the bed in indecision. From her posture and countenance, it appeared that once again, the reading of the journal had proven less than helpful. _What had she read that made her cry again? _he wondered worriedly.

He was torn emotionally – should he take the journal away and not let her read any more of it during her pregnancy? The last time he had tried that, she had reacted so strongly. But...would what she just read make this _paranoia_ even worse? He had the awful feeling that _Michaela_ had suffered a similar malady and documented it, unknowingly for her ancestor in the far future to find. He felt like kicking himself that he left it in its customary place inside his bureau. _If I'd just taken it out of the room..._he silently fretted.

Shaking his head worriedly, he reached out to try and gently pry the book from her arms, but stopped, rethinking that idea. If she was sleeping peacefully, even for a few minutes, he certainly didn't want to ruin it. With a quiet sigh, he dropped his arms and moved toward the door, shutting it silently behind him.

Michaela, meanwhile, had indeed been enjoying a few minutes of peaceful sleep, as Sully had observed. However, not long after he left her alone, pleasant dreams once again began to turn sinister and she moved a little in dreaded response.

Swirling, ghostly figures again began to surround her dream self, and she wrapped her arms around her middle, shutting her eyes tightly and willing the fear away. Unbidden, her eyes opened in the dream and once again she saw the 'shooter' aiming a nail gun at her belly. "Are... you... the... doctor?" he asked malevolently, his voice low and muffled, cold eyes staring into hers as he waited for an answer.

"Please...don't hurt my baby," she begged, turning her head away and squeezing her eyes shut again, hands stretched out in terror of the pain the nails would cause to her and to the tiny life inside.

When nothing happened, the dream Michaela tentatively opened her eyes and she found herself at the base of a huge towering oak tree, Sully kneeling between her trembling legs, his face twisted in alarm. She tried to look over her stomach to see what had upset him so, but of course, she couldn't.

Nearly catatonic, he met her eyes, whimpering, "You're bleedin' real bad, Michaela..."

She stretched a hand toward him. "Sully...it's not time yet...it's too early..." she tried to reason, her eyes growing larger when Dr. Bernard appeared out of nowhere, crouching down next to her husband. As she watched, he shook his head sadly, glancing at Sully.

"We'll have to take the baby, though it's so early it probably won't make it," he calmly informed her panicked husband. Sully swallowed in dismay.

"May I borrow your knife?" he continued, eyebrows raised as he held his hand out toward her perplexed mate, even giving Sully a small encouraging smile, as if he had asked to borrow a pen.

Her husband shook his head, even as he withdrew a knife from a sheath attached to his belt - a huge, wicked looking knife, one she had never seen before - and handed it to the calmly smiling physician. She fleetingly wondered where Sully had acquired such a thing as she watched him unconsciously wipe his hands on his jeans. "But...but..." he stammered, his eyes meeting Michaela's as she stared back, paralyzed with fear.

Mesmerized as the metal object glinted in the sun, she whimpered in protest as she watched Dr. Bernard calmly disinfect the sharp blade, using a bottle magically produced from his pocket, and raise it above her stomach.

Glancing up at her, the doctor smiled benevolently. "I'm sorry I have nothing with which to anesthetize you, my dear..."

She opened her mouth to scream in protest as he brought the knife down to begin the procedure.

OOOOOOO

"How is she?" Snowbird asked, moving to pick up the teakettle from the stove again after pouring her and Cloud Dancing some tea, as Sully wearily took a seat at the table.

Sully breathed in deeply and released a tired sigh, shaking his head. "She's asleep...but I could tell she'd been cryin'," he revealed to his brother and sister-in-law. They exchanged worried glances.

Placing his elbows on the table, Sully rested his head in his hands, rifling his fingers through his hair. Meeting his brother's eyes, he admitted softly, "I'm worried about her, Cloud Dancin'. I ain't ever seen her like this...I've tried everything I can think of...I tried reasonin' with her... I had the Reverend talk to her..."

Cloud Dancing pressed his lips together in thought, having witnessed several of Michaela's episodes himself during the week. "Has she told you what the nightmares are about?" he asked his bemused brother.

Sully shook his head, accepting a cup of hot tea from Snowbird. He sighed again in frustration. "She won't tell me. Says its mostly just jumbled images...but I think it's more than that...just before she wakes up, she's always beggin' somebody to stop..."

Cloud Dancing nodded, and took a sip of his tea. "I have prayed for God to show us how to help her. If we find out what the dreams are about, we can get to the root of the problem and help, I am sure..." he paused as all three clearly heard the woman they cared so much about scream, "NO!"

Sully nearly choked on his tea as he bounded from the table and up the stairs, Cloud Dancing and Snowbird following quickly.

Throwing open the door to the bedroom, Sully gasped in reaction to the look of sheer terror on his wife's face as she struggled to sit up in the bed, screaming out again, "NO! Please! Stop!"

"Chaela!" Sully spoke forcefully, reaching out to try and gather his nearly hysterical wife into his arms, but she fought him off, trying to escape.

"Wake up, sweetheart!" he begged, grasping her arms in a gentle, but firm hold. She was shaking, nearly hyperventilating as she fought her way out of the diabolically real dream – so real she could even feel the knife begin to penetrate her skin.

"Michaela! It's me! Open your eyes!" Sully ordered, firmly but lovingly.

This penetrated the hysteria and her eyes blinked open, staring directly into the vivid and very concerned blue eyes of her husband. She drew in a deep shuddering breath as the tension melted from her body. "Oh Sully!" she squeaked, collapsing into his arms and bursting into tears.

Their Cheyenne friends, extremely concerned, hovered close as the couple clasped each other. Snowbird laid a hand gently on Michaela's shoulder, Cloud Dancing similarly on Sully's arm. Sully turned his head a bit and met his brother's eyes, Sully nearly at the end of his rope, unnerved by concern for his seemingly fragile wife.

"Why is this happening?" Michaela choked, shaking and sniffling as tears streamed down her face.

Murmuring soothing words of comfort, the three waited until Michaela was able to calm herself somewhat and sit back a little, though still remaining in Sully's embrace.

Snowbird passed Sully a tissue and he carefully helped wipe the tears from his wife's face as she dejectedly continued trying to recover.

"Sweetheart...tell us what happens in the dreams...so we can try to get to the bottom of this," Sully requested softly.

Glancing around at the three concerned faces, Michaela shrugged off her self-consciousness of the debilitating affair, finally admitting, "They...they usually start with the house being under siege of a bad storm, followed by a man threatening to shoot me...sometimes with a gun...sometimes with one of those automatic nailing tools..." she began, shuddering as that vivid image resurfaced. "But this time...I saw myself..." she hesitated, grimacing at the awful images, "under a big oak tree...with you..." she paused, looking into her husband's eyes, "and Dr. Bernard...performing an emergency cesarean section on me...only..." she stopped, shuddering with emotion.

Sully sank to his knees in front of his wife, glancing quickly at Cloud Dancing and Snowbird before focusing on Michaela again, determined to get everything out in the open, now that she had finally begun to open up. "Only...what?"

"Only...you gave him your knife...it was a huge, frightening knife...like Sully used to carry...and Dr. Bernard...he gave me no anesthetic...and the pain was more than I could bear..." she finished in a rush, her head dropping as her strength seemed to drain from her body.

Cloud Dancing nodded, all of the pieces of this puzzle now having fallen into place in his mind.

"Dr. Mike," he murmured gently, purposely calling her by her nickname in hopes of encouraging her to think scientifically. "I believe I have the answer to this. Your emotional reservoir is simply overfilled."

At her look, he continued, "You have suffered many close calls and emergencies since you and Sully met – and you handled each one with professionalism and calm..."

"Yeah, you have," Sully agreed supportively, chiming in with his brother's assessment.

"Whether it was Hannah being hurt...or Colleen...Sully being bitten by a rattler...yourself attacked and nearly raped...the hailstorm and tornado...Matthew and the nail gun...the shooter at the airport...or the stress of the pile up on I-25 - you took it all in stride, like the strong, confident woman you are."

Pausing as he saw she was listening, he continued gently, "I believe, however, that your greatest fear is your baby's birth...or rather...that you will once again fall into a parallel with your ancestor and her experience will become your own. This, I believe, is the root of your nightmares."

Sniffling pitifully, Michaela wiped her nose with a tissue and nodded as she admitted her secret shame. She hadn't wanted to admit to anyone, even herself, that she had become terrified of giving birth to the child she and Sully so desperately wanted.

Lifting her head to look into her dear friend's eyes, she whispered, "You're right...but what do I do?"

"For one thing," Sully interjected, "I promise you – I ain't lettin' ya any where NEAR the woods – until _after_ you have the baby!"

The wise Cheyenne smiled gently, glancing at his wife and his brother as he laid a gentle hand on Michaela's arm.

"I believe I may have a solution."

OOOOOOOO

"I've heard of water birth, of course...but I've never known anyone who went this route...and my father was steadfastly opposed to it. I'm afraid he was quite conservative in his methods," Michaela murmured as Cloud Dancing rose from the seat in front of the computer and allowed her to sit down. "Even my professors in medical school spoke adamantly against the water birth trend, although...that could very well have been fear that it would take off and cause a marked decrease in the money made from births in hospitals," she added as the four friends gathered around the computer, perusing a website on the Internet.

"I first became aware of the benefits after working with Dr. G. at the Health Center," Cloud Dancing explained, referring to Commander George Ceremuga, Clinical Director of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation Health Center, the reservation's state-of-the-art medical facility. "They installed a birthing tub several years ago and the response from the mothers who have used it has been quite positive. Each one who had given birth before remarked that they would never wish to go back to the non-water method of labor and delivery."

"So...what _is_ 'water birth'?" Sully asked, never having heard that term before.

"It is a method of giving birth, which involves immersion in warm water," Cloud Dancing answered, accepting with thanks the chair that Sully moved into place for him. "It has been practiced for centuries around the globe, from Japan where women labored in the sea, to Finland where women delivered in saunas."

"Dang..." the rancher murmured in awe.

"The mother can give birth in the water, or merely use it as a tool during the labor process. Research has found that a woman who experiences labor in a birthing pool benefits from reduced anxiety, ease of movement, and lower blood pressure. Because her muscles are able to relax, it releases pain inhibitors and she is then better able to cope with the pain and have a positive birthing experience," explained the knowledgeable Indian. It was obvious he had spent much time researching the subject. In truth he had, originally for his own beloved wife, but now he realized, even more so for his precious sister-in-law.

"Okay...that makes sense..." Sully conceded with a nod. "Like it's relaxin' to sit in a tub cause it helps sore muscles and things?"

"Precisely."

Michaela had been reading an article on the screen as the men talked, and now began reading aloud from the text. "This says 'Proponents believe that this method is safe and provides many benefits for both mother and infant, including no need for an episiotomy, or even pain relief, and provides a less traumatic birth experience for the baby'."

"But...what about when the baby...comes out," Sully asked. "Wouldn't it drown?"

"Studies have proven that newborn babies will not take a first breath while still underneath the water," his brother calmly explained.

"Yes, because of the hormone Prostaglandin E2, which causes the baby's breathing to slow before, during, and right after labor," Michaela supplied, relaxing as she slipped into familiar ground of her years of medical study. "Also, babies will not gasp or try to breathe as long as the umbilical cord is not clamped or cut, and is still pulsing regularly. All babies are born with slightly low levels of oxygen, which causes them to swallow, not inhale."

Cloud Dancing, warming to the subject, continued, "Properly heated water helps ease the transition from the birth canal to the outside world, because the warm liquid is thought to resemble the intrauterine environment."

"Yes," Michaela smiled widely, turning her head to gaze into her brother-in-law's dark, wise eyes.

"That makes perfect sense. Oh, Cloud Dancing, the idea of giving birth this way seems...almost easy, compared to the dreaded scenarios I've been imagining. Thank you," she added softly, leaning to give him a gentle kiss on the cheek as Sully and Snowbird looked on affectionately.

"You are most welcome, heaxaa'éhemo," he returned with a smile.

Grinning, she immediately returned, "Ahh, I've been studying Cheyenne, nétame [brother-in-law], and I'm honored to be your sister-in-law."

The men chuckled at her spirited response.

"Michaela, Dr. G. walked me through the birthing center at the clinic and I've decided I'm definitely going to use this method," Snowbird informed her friend.

Michaela turned to her, wondering why she hadn't mentioned it before.

"You have? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to tell you about it this week, but..." her friend began, pausing as the three gave each other uncertain looks.

Michaela lowered her head for a moment. "I haven't exactly been in a talking mood, have I..."

Then turning to gaze at each of these people who meant so much to her, tears pooled in her eyes.

"I'm truly sorry I worried all of you so...especially you," she added, looking into Sully's loving eyes.

"Ain't no need to apologize..." he refuted, reaching to grasp one of her hands and bring it to his mouth for a kiss.

"Well...I must say...no woman was ever more loved and understood. And I truly feel that the shroud of fear is gone. I'm so very relieved! Thank you," she said again, reaching to hug all three at once.

True to her word, the fear and dread _were_ gone, and that night she slept soundly for the first time in many nights...except for the normal times of visiting the little room at the end of the hall.


	28. Making Plans

_AN: Well after a short break, I'm very happy to say I've finished the story, Hallelujah. I want to send a shout out to Kate for bailing me out when I was drowning in frustration, lol. Thanks, girl! For the next 4 weeks, I'll be putting up the remainder of chapters two a week, Mondays and Fridays. I hope you enjoy the ending of my modern trilogy. _

**...**

**CHAPTER 28 – MAKING PLANS**

Sully pulled the Escalade into a parking spot and turned off the motor as he and Michaela gazed around at the lovely 'Spanish villa' style buildings of the Springs Birthing Center. It was even prettier than the pictures showed on its very informative website.

"It's lovely," Michaela breathed softly, her eyes taking in the pristine white walls and lovely evergreens, the second floor verandas resplendent with hanging plants.

"Yeah...sure is..." Sully agreed, turning his head then to gaze at his lovely wife, her face glowingly beautiful as she sat with a hand gently caressing the round ball of her stomach.

"You ready?" he murmured softly.

She turned to him and smiled into his eyes, leaning toward him for a kiss.

"Quite ready," she murmured in a breathy whisper, her eyes twinkling happily.

He grinned at her and opened his door, sprinting around to the passenger side, and extending both hands to help her out.

The warm spring air caressed their hair as they walked along arm in arm. As they reached the entrance, Sully opened the door and ushered his thirty-seven week pregnant wife inside, a few minutes early to participate in one of the scheduled orientations for prospective maternity clients.

Stepping into a large, terracotta tiled foyer, complete with a huge skylight and soothing rock waterfall, they noticed several doors. Instantly spotting the one marked, 'The Midwife's Garden', they opened the door and moved inside, glancing around at the other two couples that had chosen the same time to tour the facility. Exchanging pleasant greetings, they took seats to wait.

A few minutes later, Stacy Scott, owner and head CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife), walked into the room and introduced herself to the assembled participants.

"Are you the Dr. Michaela Quinn-Sully who has a clinic on Hanover Road?" she asked in a friendly manner, surprising Michaela with the fact that she recognized her name, having seen the sign on the clinic.

"Yes, I am," Michaela returned pleasantly, as the others smiled and nodded, the women feeling encouraged in their indecision by a doctor in their midst touring the facility with them.

Smiling broadly, Stacy inclined her head. "I want to welcome each of you to our facility. I'm so happy you decided to visit us today."

Stacy spent the next few minutes explaining what they would see on their tour, and the happy fact that a mother was at that moment laboring in one of the birthing suites, and had agreed to answer a few questions, _if_ her labor had not advanced too far by then.

As the group rose and started their tour of the center, Michaela and Sully instantly felt comfortable in the peaceful atmosphere. They were very impressed with the cleanliness of the facility and the genuine friendliness of the staff. Michaela was especially comforted by the fact that the center was well established, and recognized by the Colorado Springs medical community.

"Our facility is outfitted with all the latest equipment, including four obstetric exam rooms, and a full service lab," Stacy informed the small group. Michaela's ears perked up at this, as the website had not gone into detail concerning this aspect. "We also provide well-woman care for women of all ages, prenatal care, natural birth, water birth, nutritional counseling, classes on childbirth, newborn care, and breastfeeding," the owner added proudly, as the three couples nodded and smiled.

"We have three private birthing suites, which exude a comfortable home-like atmosphere, and are equipped with padded water birth tubs," Stacy continued, ushering her guests into a suite decorated in soft blues, with peaceful pictures on the walls, scented candles, a comfortable bed, soft lighting, and gentle music playing – all the comforts of home.

Each couple wandered near the birthing tub, the ladies one by one taking off their shoes and stepping inside to 'try it on for size', Michaela included. Sully immediately went to his knees next to her as they both imagined the scenario playing out for real.

Finished with the tour of the main facility, Stacy then led them to the occupied suite, the couple having been inside for several hours. The expectant mother graciously answered their questions on why she chose the water birth method, and her previous experiences with the center vs. giving birth to her first child at Penrose Hospital, though she paused several times to weather a contraction. Her watchful husband anticipated her needs and hovered close, knowing just what to do to ease her through the moments of pain. Stacy interjected with helpful tips on the labor tub and water birth itself, including the fact that some mothers want their husbands to be active in the process, and even in the tub with them to provide lower back support, or for ease in catching the baby as it emerges.

Sully, soaking up every bit of the information like a dry sponge, surreptitiously stepped up behind his wife and eased his arms around her, imagining the two of them in the water together, he as close in the process with her as possible for the husband to achieve. Of course, if there were some way for Sully to take the pain and discomfort from her and bare them in his own body, he would without a second thought. This method seemed to him to be one that would allow ways in which he could be of more help and comfort than in a cold hospital environment.

Thanking the gracious couple, the group made their way out of the suite and back to the orientation room. After some pleasant small talk, and the women asking Michaela for her opinion, each of the expectant couples – including Michaela and Sully - signed up for appointments to begin the process.

OOOOOOOOO

The next afternoon, Sully opened the homestead's front door, and ushered his wife inside, as they returned from Michaela's regular doctor's appointment.

"How did it go?" Snowbird asked, sitting at the kitchen table where she had been peeling potatoes. She wiped her hands on a towel as she gazed at them questioningly.

Michaela exchanged grins with Sully as he helped her off with her coat. "Better than I even hoped."

"How so?" her best friend queried with a grin.

Making her way to the table and easing herself down into a chair, the lady of the house gushed, "Dr. Bernard was very receptive to the idea, although he admitted he has always been 'old school' in his beliefs. He told us his oldest daughter delivered her fourth baby at the center two months ago," Michaela paused with a smile. "And, that he had been present during her other three deliveries, and the difference in her level of stress and pain using the water birth method was astounding."

"Yeah, and now he even volunteers as one of their physicians on call, so he's familiar with the center and everyone there," Sully added brightly.

"He was quite willing to turn my labor and delivery over to the CNM's at the center, and said for us to alert him when I go into labor, so that he can come by and reassure himself that the baby and I are fine. And he still wants me to come to him for a checkup soon after the birth."

"Sounds like everything is in place for the big day, then," Snowbird grinned.

"Yep. I feel good about it," Sully declared confidently. "I know Michaela and the baby'll be in good hands. Nothin's gonna go wrong," he added reassuringly, giving her a grin and leaning to press a kiss to her temple.

Michaela leaned into him and met her friend's eyes, eyebrows rising a bit as she fleetingly wondered if that statement would tempt fate. _NO. I'm fine...the baby's fine...everything is arranged. Now, all we have to do is wait out these last three weeks and the baby and I will be home free._

Glancing into her husband's sparkling eyes, she smiled and drew a deep breath. "I...I think I'll make a list of things we need to take with us...and things we need to do before the baby arrives."

OOOOOOO

Several days passed by happily for the family, and then Cloud Dancing and Snowbird's visit came to an end. Everyone gathered at the base of the porch steps as the friends bid each other a tearful goodbye.

Cloud Dancing was especially apologetic that he couldn't stay longer and help his brother with a rather large, upcoming project - namely, transferring the homestead's electric lines underground. But, there were many things at home that the couple still needed to accomplish before the birth of their own baby, and also President Spang had called Cloud Dancing several times to inquire as to when his number one assistant would be coming back to work.

The couple hugged each member of the family individually, murmuring heartfelt words of love and friendship.

"I wish I could stay for your shower," Snowbird murmured as she hugged her best friend. "But I wanted to give you your gift now," she added, pulling back from their embrace and producing a wrapped object.

"Oh Snowbird..." Michaela murmured, glancing from the object to her friend's sparkling mahogany eyes.

"Go on...open it."

Unwrapping the item, Michaela withdrew a large, soft leather sling, the sides rolled and padded, and the ends fastened together with a metal buckle.

"In my language, it is called a pao'óvohe. It is to carry the baby, so that you can go about your duties and have her...or him...with you. A friend who had a baby told me she preferred this method to having the baby on her back in the typical Cheyenne way – as with this, she could see her child at all times."

"It's lovely...so soft, it feels like cashmere," Michaela murmured with a happy smile as she rubbed it against her cheek softly. "Did you make it?"

Snowbird smiled and glanced at her husband, both men watching their women with twinkling eyes.

"Cloud Dancing helped me tan the leather, but I did the rest."

"I love it, Snowbird. Thank you so much," Michaela responded, leaning to give her friend another hug. "It pains me that I haven't been able to decide on a gift for _you_ yet..."

Snowbird shook her head with a soft smile. "It does not matter, Michaela. Your friendship is the only gift that I need."

The men glanced at each other with proud smiles as the women finished their goodbyes, Michaela saying a silent prayer that she would find just the right gift with which to bless her treasured friend.

As the Cheyenne pair climbed into their pickup and began their trip home, the family stood waving, Michaela smiling through tears until the taillights of the truck turned the corner at Hanover and disappeared from sight.

OOOOOOOO

Two days before Michaela's baby shower, she and Sully arrived at the airport to greet the plane carrying Elizabeth and Rebecca.

Michaela glanced up into her husband's eyes as he helped her take a seat, quite winded from walking across the rather large building. "What time is their flight due in again?" she asked, a trifle aggravated at herself for once again being unable to keep details corralled in her seemingly forgetful 'pregnancy' brain.

"3:32...United 6219," he added, knowing she would probably ask him again what airline and flight number.

"A layover in Denver...Mother hates Denver International...I hope they don't lose her luggage, delay her departure...or put her in a..." she began, pausing as she sought a way to describe her mother and not be too disrespectful.

"Bad mood?" Sully asked gently, smirking softly when Michaela glanced at him again and nodded wryly, her mouth turning up in her customary half grin.

"Yes. My nerves seem very..._skittish_ today. I don't relish the thought of trying to placate an aggravated Elizabeth Quinn," she admitted softly, unconsciously placing one hand on her belly as a foot or knee pushed outward, lovingly caressing her child through the covering of clothing and skin.

"Are ya okay bein' here...I mean...the last time we were here..." he paused, gazing into her eyes. "I told ya I'd pick 'em up, you didn't have to come..." he pointed out gently, easing a gentle arm around her shoulders and pulling her comfortingly close.

"No, no, I'm fine. Truly, that hadn't even entered my mind," she assured, knowing he was referring to the frightening event on their trip home from Boston at Christmas.

Michaela drew in a calming breath, moving a little out of the way of a rude passenger, who was pulling his suitcase along behind him, quite close to her seat, and nearly ran over her foot. Sully flashed the man an angry look, ready to jump to his wife's defense if he had, indeed, done such a thing. The man grumbled a muffled, "Sorry," and continued on his way.

"I know I didn't necessarily need to come...I just..." Michaela continued, pausing as she was not quite sure why she had felt the responsibility of 'being there' to welcome her mother and sister. Firmly entrenched rules of etiquette, she supposed.

"It'll be alright," he soothed. "Between me and Becca, we'll get your mom's mind on other things real quick."

Placated, Michaela nodded and settled back into the waiting area seat, smiling softly into her husband's eyes as he lovingly, but surreptitiously, slipped a hand over their child, his gentle 'father's touch' stilling its rather vigorous movements as he murmured downward, "Easy there, little one. Give your mama a break."

Michaela lifted a hand to his smoothly shaven cheek and jaw. Leaning her head toward his so they could touch foreheads, they communed together, creating their own private 'zone' in the midst of the busy airport, filled with strangers concerned only with their own problems and agendas.

OOOOOOOO

"Mother! Rebecca!" Michaela called, waving to the two women after Sully helped her out of her seat.

"Michaela!" they called simultaneously as they threaded their way through the crowd in the airport's great hall. Reaching the expectant parents, Elizabeth folded her pregnant daughter in her arms for a long, heartfelt hug as Rebecca greeted Sully, exchanging kisses on cheeks.

Finally, Elizabeth released Michaela, pulling back with a grin as she took in her youngest daughter's appearance, noticing at once the combination of fatigue and nervous expectation.

"Have you been getting enough rest?" she immediately asked. Michaela steeled herself for another of her mother's customary grillings.

Allowing her eyes to drop to the firm, round protrusion pushing forth from Michaela's otherwise petite body, however, Elizabeth softened a bit. _To look at her face, arms, and legs only, one would not even know she was with child. Just like me with my first pregnancy_, Elizabeth mused with a loving grin.

Belatedly remembering her son-in-law, she turned and reached for him with a fond smile, offering her cheek for his kiss as she murmured, "Hello Sully."

"Lizabeth," he murmured, obliging his mother-in-law with a quick peck as Rebecca took that moment to hug her sister.

Immediately turning her eyes back to her daughter, Elizabeth gushed, "Michaela, you look simply wonderful!"

"Thank you, Mother...how were your flights?" Michaela responded with a slight grimace as the baby delivered a well-placed kick to her ribs.

Sully noticed and was immediately at her elbow. "You okay?" he murmured as he scanned her expression.

She smiled at him, the discomfort passing as quickly as it had happened. "Yes...he's just playing soccer again," she quipped, lapsing into what had become a familiar game between them, using sports descriptions to describe the baby's activities.

"He?" Elizabeth immediately returned, Rebecca stepping near. "You've found out the sex of the baby?" she asked excitedly.

The parents grinned at each other, both shaking their heads.

"No, sorry," Michaela answered. "We alternate back and forth between 'he' and 'she'...it just seems better than calling our child an 'it'..."

"Ahh," Elizabeth nodded. "I totally agree. Well, as for our flights," she paused with an exasperated huff that made Michaela instantly regret asking the question, "They were positively the _worst_ I've ever been forced to endure."

The other three glanced at one another, bracing themselves as Elizabeth gathered steam, continuing, "The food was atrocious. The first hour out of Boston, the turbulence was so bad I thought the plane was going to shake itself apart. After which, the man in the seat directly across the aisle snored disgustingly, although I don't know how he even managed to sleep with the couple in front of him arguing loudly for most of the trip."

"Mother..." Rebecca began as Sully communicated with his eyes regarding his wife, who had stepped back a bit in unconscious response to her mother's growing annoyance. Oblivious, Elizabeth charged ahead.

"Children running up and down the aisles, apparently under no adult supervision whatsoever, I had to wait at least _twenty minutes_ standing outside of the lavatory, the man in front of me had his seat reclined nearly the whole way, and then..." she paused as everyone in the large hall suddenly heard the unmistakable strains of 1940's swing music begin to play.

_AN: If you want to see the video I styled this from, go to Youtube and search for watch?v=P99p6l8v0FQ (it's called Denver Airport Holiday Flash Mob, and it's truly delightful)._

"What on _earth_...?" Elizabeth muttered, glancing around in frustration, her tirade unexpectedly interrupted as three young women nearby, dressed in jeans, tennis shoes, and t-shirts, scurried to the center of the hall, and took up positions as if posing or showing off, then began to move to the music.

"What's going on?" Rebecca murmured as all four turned their attention toward the commotion, watching as people in the center backed up to get out of the girls' way.

Suddenly, three young men smoothly sidled up to the girls, sweeping them into their arms and twirling them around in quite skillful executions of 40's style dancing. By this time, nearly everyone in the hall had paused or turned their heads to watch the entertaining spectacle unfold in their midst.

Soon, four more pairs of dancers joined the first three, all of them swinging their hips, stepping, and swishing to the lively music.

"It's a flash mob!" a young man next to them announced to no one in particular.

"A flash mob at Colorado Springs Airport," the young woman with him murmured, quickly taking her cell phone out to video the vivacious exhibition. "I've never seen a flash mob in person, but I've watched dozens on YouTube," she added excitedly.

Another young man nearby spoke eagerly into his cell phone, "Yeah, man, there's a flash mob going on right now - right here at the airport! Yeah...they're using some kind of old-fogey music though, and I don't know what the heck kind of dumb dance they're doing..."

Elizabeth, who had begun to enjoy the dancers, turned to him in a huff, announcing haughtily, "They _happen_ to be doing what was known as a 'Lindy Hop' – and let me tell you, it is not as easy as they are making it look! You would do well to show a little respect, young man."

"Yes ma'am," the teen automatically answered in response to Elizabeth's stern rebuke.

Rebecca and Michaela exchanged amused glances at that, with Sully successfully stifling a chortle at his feisty mother-in-law.

Just then, the music changed to another oldie and the couples began shimmying, the men tossing the girls over their shoulders in quite athletic, synchronized gyrations as the crowd began to react with shouts and applause. The finish of that dance had the girls balancing on their abdomens on the men's shoulders, in pair-skater fashion.

Another song immediately started, and more young people joined them, separating themselves from the assembled onlookers as the dancers suddenly multiplied to at least a hundred, everyone doing a fine rendition of the "Charleston" as travelers all around the great hall stood and watched, clapped, filmed with their Smart Phones, and grinned from ear to ear. Sully recognized that one from his favorite Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life."

"Oh, the Charleston!" Elizabeth gasped. "I love that dance – when I was a child, Mother and Father used to dance to this in the parlor in our house on Chestnut Street," she cooed, beginning to move a little with the music, her face transformed with a wide grin, softly clapping her hands in almost childlike delight, and even tapping a foot to the beat as she watched the energetic young people. "Now that's when dancing was _dancing_," she added with pure enchantment.

Soon that song was over and another started, more dancers joining until the center of the floor was filled with couples twisting and swirling, the young men spinning their partners out and back, flipping them over, or lowering them nearly to the floor by one arm, every dancer totally in sync with the others.

Dragging her eyes from the enchanting entertainment, Michaela took a moment to glance around at the crowd. Young and old, men and women, teens and children – everyone had a smile as if they hadn't a care in the world, while they watched the lively spectacle. The rails of the upper level seemed wall-to-wall people as they vied for space to watch and grin. Anything that had been an aggravation moments before - lost luggage, uncomfortable flights, or long layovers, now seemingly forgotten. The energetic dancers accomplished their mission, and more.

Michaela felt Sully slip an arm around her back as he leaned his head near hers, whispering, "They're pretty good, huh?"

Angling her head to raise an eyebrow at him and nod in agreement, "Indeed they are," she murmured, her attention once more focusing on the dancers.

Then all too soon, it was over, the guys hauling the girls into their arms for their big finish, each girl with one arm around her partner's shoulders, and the other raised high. Huge smiles adorned their faces as they held their poses for several seconds, while the large assembled crowd of now energized travelers erupted in appreciative cheers. In the space of five minutes, the entire atmosphere of the airport had changed to one of happy camaraderie.

As flash mobs do, the participants quickly dissolved back into the crowd, several watchers reaching to compliment or shake a hand in appreciation, as the airport's PA system announced the number and gate of the currently boarding plane.

"You know...some of my most delightful memories as a small child are of watching my parents 'jump and jive' in pure jitterbug swing fashion," Elizabeth murmured, her expression wistful, as the years seemed to melt away for a few moments. "I was privileged to grow up in a home where the classics, as well as Big Band music, were played and appreciated. Watching Mother and Father dance was always pure entertainment, and they did it with such finesse, even when they grew older - though I doubt you girls remember that," she added wistfully, glancing at her two grown and accomplished daughters.

"_I_ do, Mother," Rebecca softly returned. "I remember Claudette and I stayed the night at their house once, and after watching the two of us dance to some song on the radio, they got out the old records, to 'show us kids how it's done'," she added with a twinkle.

Elizabeth nodded, misty-eyed as she pictured the scenario.

Then in true Elizabeth Quinn fashion, she squared her shoulders and stated matter-of-factly, "Let this be a lesson to you young people. Melodies will come and go, but truly great music, whether it be Beethoven, or the Big Band sound, will never be surpassed!"

With that, she retrieved their baggage claim checks and flashed a commanding look at her son-in-law. "Sully, would you please retrieve our bags so that we may get on the road..." but paused with a happy twinkle in her eye as she added, "I am anxious to see my grandchildren."

"Be right back," Sully responded with a grin, reaching to give Michaela a quick smooch on the cheek before sprinting off in the direction of the baggage claim area.

OOOOOOOOO

Once home, Elizabeth and Rebecca spent a good amount of time greeting the kids, eating dinner, and visiting, before retiring to the upstairs bedrooms at the clinic to unpack and settle in for their extended visit, having planned on staying until well after the baby arrived.

Michaela, quite worn out from the abundant walking required to traverse the airport, plus the pressure of having her mother and sister visit, opted out of accompanying Sully to the Greyhound Bus terminal, where they were expecting Louise Davenport, their friend from Nebraska, to arrive by bus around 10 PM that night. Sully and Matthew completed that assignment.

Louise was effervescent with joy about being invited to Michaela's baby shower and happily talked the guys' ears off on their way home from the terminal.

The hour being so late when Louise arrived, Michaela welcomed her at the clinic, choosing to save the grand tour of the homestead for the next day. The kitchen door opened and Michaela smiled happily, rising slowly from the chair where she had been sitting at the table. Moving forward, she wrapped the older woman in her arms for a warm hug.

"Louise, thank you so much for coming...I know the bus trip couldn't have been enjoyable," she murmured as the other woman held her for a moment in her arms.

"Oh Michaela, I'm thrilled that you've included me in your joyous time and invited me to attend your baby shower. The bus was lovely, very comfortable...and I met some very nice people on the eight-hour trip. We had some quite lively discussions," Louise responded with a chuckle, leaning back to get a good look at her friend. "Oh my dear, being with child has made you even more radiant, as I rather expected it would," she added with a grin.

Smiling happily, though slipping a hand to press against a nagging ache in her lower back as Sully came in with their friend's luggage, Michaela turned toward the table.

"Louise, I'd like you to meet my mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Quinn...and my sister, Mrs. Rebecca Collins. Mother, Becca...this is Louise Davenport. You remember when I told you about the lovely night we spent with her on our way home after the honeymoon..."

Louise took the initiative and glided forward, gently clasping Elizabeth's hand in both of hers as she looked into the other woman's eyes.

"I'm so very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Quinn. And you, Mrs. Collins," she added, reaching to grasp Rebecca's hand. "You have a wonderful daughter...and sister...but I'm sure you know that," she added with a twinkle.

"Thank you, Mrs. Davenport..." Elizabeth began.

"Oh, please, call me Louise...and may I call you Elizabeth?" she asked with an engaging smile. Elizabeth couldn't help but respond with a smile of her own.

"Yes, of course."

"I've heard so many good things about you...and please, call me Rebecca," Michaela's sister added with a grin, flashing an amused glance at Michaela as the two older women settled into a comfortable discussion about plane travel vs. bus travel, and then about having babies in their day vs. now.

Matthew had returned to the homestead on foot, so that Sully would have the Escalade to transport Michaela. Now, the concerned husband hovered behind his fatigued wife, his hands gently massaging her shoulders. He wanted more than anything to whisk her out to the vehicle and get her home and in bed, as he noticed her repeatedly rubbing and pressing on her back, though she was trying to do it surreptitiously.

Finally, Rebecca glanced at Michaela and caught an unbidden grimace, prompting an immediate reaction from the older sister. Rising to her feet and taking charge, she ordered, "Michaela, you must be exhausted. You should get to bed..."

"Yep, and that's just where she's goin'," Sully spoke up, seizing the moment, and reaching to help her from her chair as she tried half-heartedly to argue.

"They're right, Michaela. Forgive us for keeping you here this long. Run along now, we'll be fine, and Rebecca and I will get Louise settled in the recovery room suite," Elizabeth now chimed in, rising from her seat as well.

"Well...all right...I _am_ rather tired," the expectant mother admitted.

"Only three weeks left, and then you'll hold that precious baby in your arms," Elizabeth cooed, moving over to place a hand on Michaela's stomach. "And if you're worried about the pain, don't be. Epidurals are wonderful," she added with a twinkle.

Glancing from her husband to her sister, and then back to her mother, Michaela grappled for a moment before deciding to inform them of her decision. Feeling Sully squeeze her hand, guessing what she was about to do and trying to communicate with her to wait until the next day, she took a breath and murmured, "Well, actually mother...we've decided to use the water birth method. We're toured the Springs Birthing Center, and their wonderful facility affords..."

"Water birth! Michaela, surely you can't be serious!" Elizabeth interrupted hotly.

"Mother..." Rebecca tried to soothe.

"Your father was adamantly opposed to that, Michaela. Midwives instead of licensed physicians..." the older woman groused disgustedly.

"It is quite safe, Mother...Dr. Bernard was completely agreeable and he even..."

"I don't care what that quack has agreed to..."

"Hold it," Sully interjected, moving his wife toward the door. "She needs to rest now. You guys can talk about this tomorrow," he added with finality.

"Yes...yes, you're right, Sully. I apologize for my outburst," Elizabeth responded, lifting a hand in an almost wave as she watched her daughter and son-in-law make their way out the door without a backward glance.

When the door closed behind them, the three ladies met each other's gazes.

OOOOOOOOO

"You okay?" Sully murmured as he carefully smoothed a palm full of stretch mark cream into his wife's taut skin. She had hardly said a word on the way down the drive, or getting ready for bed. Now, she was merely laying on the bed, silently enjoying his ministrations, her expression far away.

At his question, she shifted her eyes to his, whispering with a tiny appreciative grin, "Yes, I'm fine."

Pursing his lips, he nodded as he continued his efforts, caressing and smoothing, smiling lovingly as the baby moved in response to his touch as he worked his way down to the muscles in her legs.

"Your feet swelled up a lot tonight...ya did too much walkin'," he gently fussed, moving to sit at the end of the bed by her feet, and taking one leg onto his lap as he endeavored to make sure the muscles in her calves didn't cause her pain during the night.

Watching her handsome husband, brow tense with concentration as he worked, Michaela drew in a relaxed sigh, his love and care, as always, just what she needed.

"You're so good to me, Sully. What did I ever do to deserve you?" she asked quietly, smiling fondly at him when he flashed a grin her way.

"I told ya before...just bein' _you_."

"You...understand me...and support my decisions..." she began, pausing as she once again thought of the most recent argument with her mother.

"Just give her time, Michaela...talk to her...she'll come around," he soothed as he continued working for a moment. "But even if she don't, it ain't gonna change our plans. You and me – we know what's best for you and the baby, so don't you worry about it. And don't let her objections make you start second guessin' yourself," he added astutely, flashing her a knowing look.

She smiled her half grin, shaking her head softly. "How is it that you know me so well?" she murmured quietly.

At this he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, continuing to work his magic massaging her legs as he drew the other one onto his lap.

"Cause I know every little thing about ya. I watch ya, even when you don't realize it," he added with a tiny chuckle. "I always wanna know how you feel about things, or if somethin's made ya happy, or sad, or mad, or worried...or scared," he added in a whisper, locking his eyes with hers for several moments as they both remembered her recent bout of panic attacks.

Then he added gently and ever so sincerely, "Cause I love ya...more than any man ever loved a woman. Except maybe...how _Sully_ loved _his_ Michaela," he murmured, his deep voice resonating within her heart as she stared into the vivid blue eyes of this man that God had created just for her – and she for him.

"I love you, too...you make me so happy, Sully...you make me feel so special," she whispered, swallowing back tears.

He smiled at her tenderly as he finished up his nightly ministrations. Wiping his hands on a towel, he quickly disrobed to his boxers, and slid beneath the covers, holding them out of his wife's way while she laboriously adjusted her voluminous pillow.

Settling down and wrapping one arm around her, he whispered near her ear, "Everythin's gonna be alright, 'Chaela. Don't think of bad things...only good...alright?"

Pressing her lips together, Michaela nodded, meeting his eyes over her shoulder. He smiled again and leaned to press his lips to hers for a long, sweet, tender goodnight kiss.

"Night mé'oo'o..._vé'ke ováxe_."

Michaela smiled and rubbed noses with her husband. "_Sweet dreams_ to you, also...my Sully...my sweetheart."

OOOOOOOOO

"Oh Michaela! Your home is wonderful!" Louise gushed as she was ushered in the front door of the homestead the next morning. "So warm...so charming...and this _room_...it just exudes contentment," she added, her gaze roaming the large open living/dining/kitchen area. "I can tell you have a very happy and comfortable life here."

"Thank you, Louise. We _are_...very happy here," Michaela returned, smiling at her husband as he drew her against his side with a grin and a quick kiss.

Elizabeth and Rebecca had filed in behind them, Elizabeth glancing around, and for the first time seeing her daughter and son-in-law's home as something wonderful, instead of seeing it through 'Boston high-society' eyes.

"Yes, I agree," Rebecca chimed in. "I can just imagine sitting before a fire roaring in that fireplace, warm and cozy, while snow, sleet, and cold reigned outside. I keep telling Robert I want a fireplace like that in our family room," she added with a chuckle.

"There are _three_ fireplaces in the house, and they have come in quite handy on several occasions," Michaela agreed, aiming a grin at her husband. He winked at her in return, silently remembering several amorous occasions in front of their hearth upstairs.

After some small talk, and Sully explaining the history of the house, refreshing Louise's memory, since they had told her all about it when they had stayed in her home on their return from the honeymoon, he then showed the women the new room he was building. All three were suitably impressed with the quality of the workmanship and how far the project had come.

Throughout the pleasant exchange, Michaela had been steeling herself for a continuation of the confrontation begun the previous night.

As the conversation lapsed, and the three ladies seated themselves at the kitchen table while Michaela poured cups of coffee, she flashed her husband a look, silently asking for his support, and took a breath, murmuring, "Mother..."

Elizabeth held up a hand to stop her.

"I know what you're going to say, Michaela, and..." she paused, smiling as she added, "Really, there's no need."

Stopping short, Michaela and Sully glanced at each other in confusion, both of them having prepared detailed arguments.

"Your sister, who is quite web-savvy," she paused to reach over and give her oldest daughter a proud pat on her hand, Rebecca responding with a grin and a wink at her sister as their mother continued, "Showed me article after article last night on the joys and benefits of water birth – provided the mothers are low or no-risk. We stayed up three hours reading and looking at websites, and videos...the three of us," she added, flashing a smile at her new friend Louise. "...And we were simply fascinated. Between that and...Louise talking some sense into me...well, I'm not ashamed to admit that I was wrong. Your father, in this case, was wrong as well."

Michaela was simply speechless, gazing at her proud, Boston bred mother as the woman added, "and I just want you to know that I am fully on board with you in your choice of this method, Michaela. After reading the material last night...I quite wish it would have been in vogue when I had my _own_ babies..." she finished with a twinkle.

"Oh I agree," Louise added cheerfully. "I gave birth to four children, each time more grueling than the last, staying in the hospital for a week...or two weeks. I wish I could have had the comparatively easy time I saw in the videos last night."

"And I quite agree," Rebecca added with a twinkle.

"Oh my...I...don't know what to say..." Michaela sputtered, still quite surprised at her mother's speedy change of heart.

"Well...say, thank God for technology!" Elizabeth quipped, causing the five adults to erupt in laughter.

Elizabeth stood and took her daughter into her arms, rocking gently back and forth as she had when Michaela was a child. Michaela stood with her eyes shut, her arms around her mother, enjoying a camaraderie she had only dreamed of before.

As she opened her eyes, meeting those of her husband, her sister, and then their friend, she smiled in pure gratitude as the older woman sent a wink her way.

In that wink, Michaela somehow knew that Louise had worked her magic once again, no doubt invoking God's help in the tense situation of the night before.

Silently, Michaela thanked God once again for directing them to that tiny café in Kearny, Nebraska, on their first fateful journey west.

_What a difference one woman can make in the lives of everyone she meets..._

What a wonderful difference, indeed.


	29. Showers and Trenches

**CHAPTER 29 - – SHOWERS AND TRENCHES**

Finally, the day of Michaela's baby shower arrived.

By 11am, the ladies (and girls) were glad to leave for awhile, to get away from the dust and the continuous clatter and grinding noise of the 'Ditch Witch', as Sully and Matthew dug the trench from the road to the house to bury the electric lines underground. He had waited weeks for the ground to sufficiently dry so that he could begin the project, wanting to have it finished well before the baby arrived.

Rebecca volunteered to be chauffeur for the day, driving the Escalade to the church, with Elizabeth, Louise, the girls, and Michaela onboard – Michaela having reached that stage where she was no longer comfortable behind the wheel of a vehicle.

As the guest of honor arrived at the church and entered, she jokingly dubbed herself the "Princess of _Whales," _as she laboriously descended the basement stairs. Several friends from church immediately assailed her, ushering her into the festivities with happy grins while Myra merrily slipped necklaces made of ribbon with several diaper pins hanging from them, around the necks of Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Louise.

"Oh, the 'Never Say Baby' game! I won this at a baby shower once," Louise happily responded.

"Never say _baby_? How can we not say the word 'baby' at a 'baby shower'?" Elizabeth groused, albeit with a smile as she inclined her head for Myra to slip on a necklace.

"Well, that's just it, see – Dr. Mike is the only one allowed to say the word BABY while the shower is goin' on. Anybody else says it, if another person calls her on it - they get to take one pin from her necklace. The lady with the most pins at the end gets a prize."

Grinning as she moved on into the large space, Michaela's mouth dropped open in pleased surprise as she took in the adorable decorations, the atmosphere one of fun and sweet pleasure. Grace and Dorothy had outdone themselves - balloons, banners, ribbons, and other decorations festooned the large space in a Noah's Ark theme of bright yellow, green, pink, and blue. There were colorful tubs with stuffed animals, plates, napkins, cups, and party favors all with baby animals and ark themes. One couldn't help but smile at the happy sight.

Grace had once again crafted the cake, and it was amazing, as usual. The bottom layer resembled the 'ocean' with waves and shark fins, while the ark layer rose from the 'water', and cute baby animals poked their heads out from the 'ship.'

Michaela made her way slowly around the large space, greeting friends, including Ellen Miller, Anna Sheehan, Mrs. Anderson, the widow Flanders, Ingrid, and Carmen, the sweet little silver haired lady who was like a grandmother to everyone.

"Oh, I wish Teresa were here to share this with me," Michaela murmured to Dorothy, as she took a sip of punch from a cup Grace had pressed in her hand. Michaela and Teresa had spent much time together over the months, comparing pregnancy 'woes', both so glad they had a friend that they saw on a regular basis going through the same things at the same time.

"Ahh, don't worry, Dr. Mike. I've got Teresa's shower all planned for the week they get back," Grace assured the gentle-hearted doctor.

"I'm sure she and Jake are havin' a nice visit with her family in New Mexico," Dorothy assured the guest of honor. "Besides, she told me she didn't want to take any of the limelight from _you _today. She wanted this to be _your_ special time," she added with a twinkle.

After several minutes, Colleen and Hannah appeared at Michaela's side and took hold of her hands, leading her over to a comfortable chair, each of the girls fussing over her, as Hannah informed her surprised mother that they had chosen to be her 'liaisons' for the day.

"We don't want you to have to lift a finger, we're gonna see to your every need," Colleen gushed, the girls practically tripping over each other in their zeal to do a good job.

As they helped her to sit, Hannah dragged a cushioned ottoman over, both girls helping Michaela lift her feet and prop them comfortably.

"Do you want somethin' to drink, Mom? Water? More punch?" Colleen asked eagerly.

"Do you need a pillow for your back?" Hannah offered.

"Are you too hot? Or too cold? I can get you a blanket..." Colleen added.

Before Michaela could answer, Hannah chimed in, "Do you want something to snack on? I don't think there's any pickles, but we've got cake, and lots of little sandwiches, and chips, and nuts, and mint things, and candies..."

Michaela's head was reeling by this time, and smiling gently, she grasped the girls' hands, saying, "I think I'll just have some more punch for now."

"I'll get it!" they both responded, hurrying over to the refreshment table.

OOOOOOOO

Sully switched the noisy, rattling machine off so they could take a short break as he saw his youngest heading toward them with three cold cans of soft drink.

"Whew! This is too much like work!" Matthew jokingly griped, standing straight and wiping his face with a bandanna, the day having turned quite balmy.

Sully laughed and nodded as he wiped the sweat from his own face. "Yeah, but just imagine doin' all this diggin' by hand."

"If we were doin' it like _that_, I think I'd run away from home and come back after you were done," the teenager quipped with his trademark 'Elvis' grin.

Sully chuckled as he reached out for one of the ice-cold cans, lowering himself down near a bound stack of high-density polyethylene pipes, which they would later use as conduit for the new wiring.

"Thanks, Brian."

"Thanks, little brother," Matthew added as he reached for a can.

"It's okay," Brian returned, flopping down at his father's side.

"How long does the trench gotta be again?" Matthew asked as he rolled the cold soda can against his forehead.

"Three hundred, twenty-five feet from the pole at the road to the side of the house," Sully answered, leaning his head forward and massaging his neck with one hand to ease a tension ache caused by gripping the machine's handles tightly to keep it in line as it rattled and jerked it's way along. Matthew was helping by watching out for roots, rocks, and other obstructions as the machine's curved blade methodically turned the soil, and occasionally guiding the machine himself to give Sully a break.

"Then we gotta put about a two inch layer of gravel in the bottom of the trench, pull the new wire through the PVC pipe and glue the sections together, have the power company hook it all up...then we back fill the trench, and we're done," he recited the steps out loud, ticking them off on the fingers of one hand, although they had discussed the process before.

He had decided to run the underground line in the empty land on the opposite side of the driveway from the clinic, to the right of the trees, instead of putting it directly under where the overhead wires were now. This way they would avoid having to destroy the driveway in the process, and be well away from the roots of the large trees.

"How long you figure it'll take to get it all done?" Matthew asked as he popped his can open.

"Hopefully just a few days, if the power company does their part on time."

Glancing at the expression of slight dismay on his son's face, he smiled gently, adding, "We're savin' a good chunk of money doin' this ourselves, Matthew. Always remember, if there's a way to save money and still do somethin' right, do it. And don't be afraid to try doin' somethin' just 'cause you ain't done it before," he murmured, meeting eyes with his son. Matthew nodded thoughtfully. "I checked with a couple of contractors and they all wanted thousands of dollars to put this line in the ground. It's only gonna cost me a couple hundred cause we're doin' it ourselves."

"You sure you know everything about it, though?" Matthew asked, intimidated by the scope of the project.

"Yep. I did my homework," Sully grinned. "Besides, they'll send out an inspector to make sure everything's the way it should be, before we close up the trench."

"How come we're doin' this?" Brian asked innocently, gazing up at his father, as always, feeling pure 'hero' worship, believing his father knew everything about everything.

"Cause I got real tired of the electric goin' out every time we have a big storm. And I'm doin' it _now_ because I wanna have it all done before the baby gets here," Sully returned after taking a long pull of his soft drink.

"_Baby_," Brian muttered under his breath. This reminded him of the festivities he had been barred from, and he spoke up reflexively, "How come we didn't get to go to that party Mom and the girls are at?"

Matthew chuckled and met his father's amused eyes. "Cause it's just for girls, Brian. It's all about baby stuff. Nothin' but a bunch of cacklin' women goin', _Oh, isn't this adorable!_" he added in a silly, falsetto voice.

"Hey now, don't be disrespectful about your mom," Sully fussed at Matthew gently as the young man snickered and nodded.

Turning his attention back to his younger son, Sully went on, "Brian, those kinda parties are somethin' females enjoy...kinda like a bunch 'a guys gettin' together to watch sports."

Matthew laughed and nodded again.

"But...Mom and the girls watch baseball with _us_..." Brian pointed out, feeling decidedly left out of everything lately regarding the impending new addition to the family. Even with his brother and father, he'd been told he was 'too young' to run the fascinating machine, but of course, Matthew gets to do _everything_...

"True...but that's a little different."

"Seems like all anybody cares about around here is the _baby_. It's all anybody talks about anymore..." Brian complained with a bit of a whine, stopping just short of saying he felt like he had already been shoved to the wayside.

Sully smiled understandingly and reached out to ruffle Brian's soft blond hair. "Aw, son...just try ta be patient a little longer. A coupla' weeks and your baby brother or sister'll be here and then things'll get back to normal. Well, after _a while_," he added with a grin, thinking about 2am feedings and changing messy diapers in the middle of the night, or pacing back and forth trying to calm a fussy baby.

"Does that mean Mom'll go back to bein' my mom again?" Brian asked hopefully.

Sully exchanged glances with Matthew, the younger responding with a slight shrug to indicate he wasn't sure what prompted that question.

"Mom's still your mom, Brian...what'dya mean?" Sully asked gently.

Brian looked down, a little ashamed that he had voiced his thoughts. Shrugging and leaning forward, picking at a blade of grass, he murmured, "I dunno...seems like she don't think about me much anymore...she can't even see me when I'm standin' right in front of her, cause her belly's in the way...and...when I try to talk to her, something always happens, like the baby kicks her or somethin'..."

Knowing his softhearted wife would be crushed if she were hearing this conversation, Sully quickly replied, "Brian...your mom loves you – very much – and she _always_ will. Even if she had _ten_ babies after this one, she'll always love you." Reaching for the boy, he effortlessly moved him over onto his lap.

"It's true she's had to cut back on stuff she usually does, like she hasn't really been doin' much doctorin' lately, or much house work...and she's been takin' lots of naps, even when everybody's home...but that don't mean her feeling's have changed about any of us."

Then seeing something else in the boy's eyes, he added gently, "Brian, you got no reason to feel like the baby's gonna take your place in the family – or in your mom's heart. That just ain't so," he declared with quiet firmness. "Your mom's the most lovin', carin' person I've ever met. She's got a heart as big as all outdoors. Just...try a little harder if you need her attention right now. Be patient if she gets distracted...her attention'll come back to you. Okay?" he added just above a whisper.

"Yeah Brian...it's the same with all of us right now," Matthew added helpfully, having fallen victim to Michaela's 'distractions' himself more than once.

Brian hesitated, mulling this over in his mind. Then, another worry surfaced and he shyly looked into his father's eyes.

"Dad?"

Sully raised his eyebrows in response. "Hm?"

"Mom's belly...it's getttin' bigger every day...it's not gonna..._pop _like a balloon_..._is it?"

Matthew and Sully burst out chuckling as Sully wrapped his small son in his arms for a bear hug.

"No, son. She's not gonna pop..." he assured, thinking, _though at times she says she feels like she will..._

OOOOOOOO

"Alright, what's your guess, Ellen?" Dorothy queried as she held the ball of yarn out to the grinning woman.

"I'm gonna be the one to get it right, you mark my words," she chuckled, reeling off a good amount of yarn to equal her guess as to how many inches it would take to go all the way around the largest part of Michaela's stomach.

Dorothy chuckled as she cut the yarn where Ellen indicated. "We'll see."

After several more ladies had their guesses, the girls helped Michaela to stand and assisted Dorothy in gauging her girth with a measuring tape. "Looks like...forty two...and a half."

"Good heavens!" Michaela sputtered, realizing she had grown two full inches in less than a week from her last checkup.

"Dr. Mike, what was your waist before you got pregnant?" Mrs. Anderson called over, the other ladies dying to know and remembering their own jealous thoughts about the lady doctor's tiny waist.

Michaela glanced at her friend with a self-deprecating grin, fighting off a blush as she admitted, "Twenty four," blanching at the realization that she had gained eighteen inches already, and she still had three weeks to go.

"Well, you'll probably get back to that size six not long after you have the baby, don't you worry," Dorothy soothed, heading toward the woman on the end to compare her guess against the tape. After checking all the guesses, sure enough, Ellen's was the closest.

As the other ladies laughed and chattered, she just shrugged with a grin.

"I've got a knack for guessing those," she quipped as she happily accepted the prize, a lovely decorative flag for the yard, complete with holder.

"Dorothy, you said 'baby'!" Myra realized with a squeal, jumping up and scooting over to Dorothy with a big silly grin, holding out her hand while the disgruntled, but chuckling host grudgingly removed a pin from the ribbon around her neck. Myra giggled as she scurried back to her seat, fastening the pin onto her rapidly filling necklace.

"You beat me to that one, but I'll beat you next time!" Louise playfully challenged, winking at the younger woman as Myra chuckled.

"Alright, now that the games are over...how about opening your gifts, Michaela?" Dorothy asked with a grin, the girls both giving tiny squeals of delight as they hopped up from their places on the floor on either side of Michaela's chair.

For the next little while, Michaela opened gift after wonderful gift, including diapers of all sizes, blankets, pacifiers, booties, clothing, stuffed animals, and even gifts for the older children in the family.

Several ladies inadvertently lost pins to the ever-vigilant Louise as they passed each gift around, so easily forgetting to avoid using the dreaded _word. _It was all in good fun, however, and always served to provide a rousing laugh from the whole group as the latest victim relinquished a pin.

Finally, the girls brought their mother the last gift on the table – a large box wrapped in elegant paper. Colleen opened the card, grinning as she informed her mother, "It's from Grandma."

Michaela flashed a look at her mother, wondering what ostentatious offering Elizabeth had come up with, as the girls helped her to unwrap the box and take off the lid. Moving aside the tissue paper, she took out a large, white, hand-knitted baby blanket.

Having never seen her mother knit in her life, Michaela glanced back at her, murmuring, "Did you make this, Mother?"

"Yes, I did," she replied with a touch of pride. "It was no trouble, really."

Michaela, touched at the loving gesture, met Rebecca's eyes as the older sister rolled hers and shook her head.

"Thank you, Mother..." Michaela murmured, caressing the soft creation and bringing it to her cheek to cuddle as she made a mental note to ask her sister about it later.

"With the cold Colorado nights, you'll need to keep your baby warm. You can bundle her in that blanket, and tell her it's from her grandmother."

"_Her_?" Rebecca teased, flashing grins at her mother and sister.

"The baby's gonna be a boy. I can tell the way she's carryin'," Dorothy insisted.

"Nah, it's gonna be a girl," Grace chimed in with surety.

"I agree," Louise added with a grin.

"I'd say a boy. I can sense it – and I'm never wrong about these things," Mrs. Anderson contributed.

"A _girl_. Trust me," Elizabeth stated with finality.

Rebecca had been watching her sister's face, noticing she was growing increasingly uneasy. "What would _you_ like it to be, Michaela?"

Forcing herself to smile as she fought off remnants of previously conquered fears, she murmured, "I...just want the baby to be healthy."

The women all nodded their agreement. Elizabeth, however, noted the uncertainty in her daughter's eyes. Unaware of Michaela's recent bout with fear and paranoia, she nonetheless sensed her apprehension, murmuring with assurance, "It _will_ be, Michaela. After all...women have been having babies since the beginning of time."

Michaela held her mother's gaze for several beats, willing herself to believe what everyone seemed to constantly be telling her.

_Think only good things...good things...good things_, Sully's beloved voice whispered in her mind.

Nodding, she drew in a relaxing breath, whispering, "I'm sure you're right."

Then, glancing at the concerned faces around her, she cleared her throat and determinedly shook off the unwanted angst, adding, "I don't know about anyone else...but I can't wait another moment to try a piece of that cake."

The momentary tension broken, everyone began to chatter as Grace rose with a grin to begin slicing into her latest creation, when Louise piped up, "Elizabeth and Dorothy – you each owe me one diaper pin!"

The rest of the ladies reacted with resounding chuckles as they began to gather near the refreshment table.

OOOOOOOOO

Sometime later, Rebecca drove down the homestead's driveway, the Escalade filled to the brim with shower gifts as well as passengers. Michaela, wedged into the passenger seat, waved at her husband and son as they passed, surprised and pleased to see they had finished the trench to within one hundred fifty feet of the house, when they had only just started when the ladies left for the church.

Sully waved back and reached to switch off the machine, wiping his face with his bandanna, he and the boys making their way to the vehicle as Rebecca pulled it up in front of the house.

"Do you want me to pull this in the garage?" she asked her sister after a thought.

Michaela grinned her half smile, chuckling softly. "No...as of yet, Sully hasn't had time to make room in the garage for the Escalade. Thus, it has stayed out in the weather all winter," she added with a touch of sass.

Rebecca chuckled and turned off the motor. The girls hopped out, Colleen reaching to open Michaela's door as Hannah began gathering items to take inside.

Sully arrived at Michaela's door then, reaching a somewhat grimy hand toward her, then both hands, to help her out. Seeing his none-too-clean hands, she grimaced, but allowed him to assist her.

He chuckled at the look on her face. "Sorry sweetheart. Been workin' hard."

"So I see," she returned, then brightened as she looked over at the progress he had made. "And so quickly. You're moving right along."

"Yep," he agreed, flashing his dimpled grin. "Haven't had too much trouble, only a few roots and rocks to slow us down. Otherwise, that thing cuts through soil like butter."

Elizabeth joined them, striving to control her expression as she gazed at her quite filthy son-in-law. "I must say, Sully...you certainly are a hard worker."

"Thanks," he grinned, resisting the urge to tease her with an offer of a hug.

"Lemme help get this stuff inside..." he began, only to have Michaela quickly interrupt.

"No! Um...that's quite all right. Brian, would you help us carry in the gifts the baby and I received today?" she asked, not relishing the thought of any of the delicate baby things being touched by Sully's grimy hands.

"Sure Mom," the little boy immediately replied, beaming that his mother suddenly needed his help, and for once preferred it to his dad or Matthew. Skipping to the back of the vehicle, he immediately began lifting items out.

Feigning insult, Sully stuck his lip out in a perfect imitation of a sad Brian. "Okay...since you don't want my help...I'll just go back to work," he pouted, his pout changing to a small grin when Michaela stretched up and gave him a sweet kiss – on his lips, the only clean area of his face, whispering, "There will be more of that later..._after_ you take a shower."

"Yes _ma'am_," he whispered back, blue eyes twinkling as he turned and headed back to resume his work, Matthew chuckling and shaking his head at his parents' antics as he joined his father.

OOOOOOOOO

An hour later, the girls occupied Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Louise with a performance of their worship dance in the living room of the homestead, after which Elizabeth went in search of her youngest.

Knowing Michaela had taken a walk down to her clinic to do some 'paperwork,' her mother followed, letting herself quietly in the kitchen door and pausing at the door from the living quarters into the clinic area, smiling softly as she silently watched her daughter stare at the computer screen, deep in thought.

Michaela glanced up and discovered her mother in the doorway.

"Mother...is anything wrong?" she asked, automatically assuming she was needed for something specific.

Elizabeth shook her head, wandering into the large one room office, idly fingering objects as she passed – so many things that she neither knew their names nor what they were used for, despite having been married to a physician for decades. She had always harbored the tiniest bit of jealousy that her youngest daughter had shared something with her husband that she, herself, could not. But, that didn't keep her from being extremely proud of her beautiful, accomplished daughter.

Arriving at the back of the desk, Elizabeth studied for a moment what appeared to be a list of items.

"Are you busy?" she asked softly.

"Actually, I was just making a list of the things we need to pack...to be ready for the delivery," Michaela answered, unconsciously wording it as if she were talking about another woman giving birth, not herself.

Elizabeth nodded, studying Michaela's expression and reading the touch of anxiety lurking just under the surface, though her physician daughter was trying valiantly to hide her unease.

Michaela drew in a breath, let it out with a sigh, and unable to think of any other needed items, hit 'save' and 'print', and closed the document out.

Scrambling for something she could say to help alleviate her daughter's apprehension, Elizabeth murmured, "It's not easy...the last month," turning toward the window that overlooked Hanover, and crossing her arms as she stared out at the empty road, though seeing something else entirely as her memory went back in time.

"The waiting...the worrying..."

Michaela turned to regard her mother, pleased that the matriarch of the Quinn family seemed to be once again about to share her private thoughts, as she had on the phone a week before.

"You wonder what kind of mother you'll be. You wonder what the delivery will be like...and you try not to think about things going wrong...but yet you still do," Elizabeth admitted softly, allowing her daughter to see underneath her tough exterior.

Michaela's eyes flickered, realizing how hard her mother was trying, striving to be 'understanding' and 'helpful', without being overbearing – and she was comforted by the realization that her mother knew exactly what she was feeling. Michaela smiled, but remained silent, allowing her to continue.

Drawing in a breath, Elizabeth let it out in a sigh. "On one hand, you can't _wait_ to have it over...but on the other, you can't help but feel you're about to lose something very special..."

She turned then, seeing her daughter watching her, tears welling in the beautiful mismatched eyes. Elizabeth drew near again, reaching out to lay a gentle hand on Michaela's firm, round belly.

"For nearly nine months you've carried this life inside you, safe and warm. And soon that will all change." Smiling encouragingly, she added, "These feelings are normal, Michaela. And...so is the joy you will feel when your child finally arrives."

Michaela drew in a breath with a sniffle, trying hard to hold on to her composure as she looked up into her mother's eyes. Elizabeth reached for one of her daughter's hands, adding sincerely, "There was no greater moment in my life, than the moment I gave birth to you."

Tears spilled over as Michaela shut her eyes, going into her mother's arms for a long, close hug, holding on tight as she allowed her emotions to overflow.

Elizabeth, now teary-eyed herself, held on just as tight, and rocked her daughter in her arms as they shared their most heart-felt and honest moment ever.

For Michaela, this was the mother she had always wanted...kind, caring, understanding... not the sometimes harsh and critical Boston Powerhouse...

For Elizabeth, a myriad of emotions assailed her, feelings of elation at becoming a grandmother again...feelings of getting 'older', as her youngest daughter was about to give birth herself...feelings of joy at finally being able to connect with the precious human being she had brought into the world thirty four years before...

Suddenly, their special moment was shattered by the back door banging open, and Brian's voice squealing, "Mama! Come quick! Dad's hurt!"

Meeting her mother's eyes, her heart in her throat, Michaela jumped up from her chair, recklessly making her way around the desk as she struggled to get to her husband, images of blood and carnage flashing in her mind, as she knew he had still been running the auger when she had passed him on her way to the clinic not thirty minutes before.

"Michaela! Slow down! You must be careful!" her mother fussed, hurrying to keep up with her surprisingly rapidly moving daughter.

Nearly out of breath when she reached the back door, Michaela looked past Brian as he held it open. Narrowing her eyes into a squint, she could just make out her husband on his knees behind the machine.

"Dear God!" she whispered, making her way out the door and moving as fast as she possibly could, her bloated body struggling forward in an imitation of running. Both hands tried to cushion her stomach from bouncing, and she silently begged God to spare Sully's life, as she rushed towards her injured soul mate.

"Michaela! Please be careful!" Elizabeth entreated a pace or two behind.

Matthew, on his knees next to his father, looked over as he saw his mother coming toward them at breakneck speed. Expelling his breath in aggravation, he jumped up and ran to intercept her.

"Mom, slow down – he's all right," he called when he was within earshot. Then raising his voice even louder, he yelled, "Brian! What'd you DO that for? We _told_ you not to go for Mom!"

The little boy slowed his pace behind his scurrying mother as he realized Matthew was right...and hoping he would not be the cause of a mishap. He hadn't pictured his mother would try to run to his father, his only thought had been that he could be the bearer of news, since he knew his father wasn't truly injured.

"What happened?" Michaela gasped as she reached her oldest son, grasping his forearms to steady herself, her legs threatening to give way, her gaze fixed on her husband as he turned toward her, still on his knees, a hand pressed to his chest.

"He's _okay,_" Matthew quickly assured. "The machine was goin' along at a good pace when it hit a rock and kicked back, just as Dad leaned over the handle. It knocked the wind out of him is all."

Not totally convinced her husband was uninjured, she murmured, "I must get to him," as she took off again, nearly stumbling over loose dirt, gravel, and construction paraphernalia. Matthew and Elizabeth each kept a tight grip on her arms to prevent her from falling. They both knew they couldn't stop her from making sure that her husband was indeed all right. The best thing they could do was protect her from herself.

When she reached him, Sully had risen to his feet, a hand still pressing against his chest as he fought for breath, watching her with worried eyes.

"Chaela..." he fussed with a gasp, taking a step toward his nearly exhausted wife. She was paying no mind to herself, however, her concern only for him.

"Sully...let me see," she panted as she reached him, moving his hand and indicating to Matthew to help her remove Sully's tee shirt, damp with perspiration...but thankfully no blood. When they dragged it over his head, she was very relieved to find nothing more than a bruise across his breastbone, albeit already turning dark.

"Is this...the only...point of impact?" she panted, pressing his ribs for signs of breakage.

"Yeah...winded me is all..." he panted in return. "Michaela!" he gasped as she suddenly swayed backward from the exertion and worry. Matthew caught her against his chest as she tried to regain her balance.

"I'm...I'm fine," she stammered, suddenly realizing how much she had taxed her overburdened legs.

"You should sit down," Elizabeth fussed, looking around in exasperation, as there was nothing close by to accommodate.

Just then, Rebecca came out on the homestead's porch, having seen the commotion. "What is happening?" she called to them.

"Rebecca! Bring a chair, quickly please!" Elizabeth called, watching her obedient daughter unquestioningly disappear inside the house and reappear quickly, gripping a kitchen chair, as she made her way out to them. Arriving in moments, she set it down and they each helped lower Michaela onto its surface as she let out a very relieved sigh.

Placing her hand over her mouth, Michaela shook her head, chuckling at her own foolishness as Sully went to his knees at her side.

"It ain't funny...you coulda' hurt yourself," he fussed, his hands cradling her stomach as his eyes scanned her face, watching her slowly catch her breath and regain her strength.

"I...I know...I just..." she stammered, meeting his eyes as she finished the rest of the sentence silently, that being that she would willingly go through anything to make sure he, the love of her life, was unharmed.

"What am I going to do with the two of you?" Elizabeth griped, only half joking.

"The only thing you _can_ do, Mother...just love them," Rebecca answered softly as she watched the two gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.

"Yes...indeed..." Elizabeth responded, stepping close and gently drawing Michaela's head against her side, smiling down into Sully's blue eyes as he raised them to her worriedly.

"Yes, _indeed_," she said again.

OOOOOOO

Several hours later, the crisis passed, Rebecca and Michaela chatted happily as they worked together, folding and putting away baby things in the new changing table she had received at the shower, temporarily set up in the corner of the master bedroom. Rebecca had busied herself washing the new clothing while Michaela had taken a nap.

Walking to the bed where the items had been deposited, Michaela picked up the white knitted blanket, lovingly smoothing it as she held it against her chest, and admiring the intricate and perfectly formed pattern.

Rebecca turned from fitting a pile of onesies into the drawer of the table and spied the misty look on her sister's face.

"You should've seen her working on that blanket," she murmured, shaking her head and moving to Michaela's side, reaching out a hand to touch the soft object. "Reading books on knitting, practicing over and over until all hours of the night..."

Michaela met her sister's eyes, surprised.

"I thought she said it was no trouble..."

Rebecca grinned and just shook her head, at which both sisters chuckled in soft camaraderie, knowing their mother's penchant for perfection at all costs.

Turning to the bed again, Rebecca picked up a box of bottles and liners. "Are you going to nurse, or bottle feed?"

"Oh, I'm going to nurse as long as I can, though I may supplement now and then as needed. You know how father was such a stickler for mothers breastfeeding their babies...and I feel the same way."

Rebecca nodded with a smile. "I nursed all three of mine, and I never regretted one moment. Matter of fact, I was always a little sad when I had to wean them..."

"Yes..." Michaela sighed, staring straight ahead for a moment as she tried to imagine what it would be like to interact with her baby in such a way...and wondering how it would feel...

Rebecca glanced at her sister's face and correctly read her thoughts. "Don't worry, Michaela. It isn't painful...matter of fact, it's quite pleasant and relaxing...and there's just something special about getting up during the night, and feeding your baby...the house quiet, everyone else asleep except for the two of you – your private 'together' time."

Smiling softly, she continued quietly, "It's the most profound thing I've ever experienced in my life...the deep, gripping bond that I felt with each baby...the way they would lay in my arms and just look up at me, such pure love and trust in their little eyes..." she paused as her own eyes misted. "Such intense feelings sweep over me when I remember that, even to this day...it takes my breath away," she finished softly, meeting her sister's gaze.

"Oh Becca...I can hardly wait to experience that for myself. It seems I've been waiting ten years for the baby to get here," she added, a trifle whiny.

Rebecca chuckled and reached to pat Michaela's firm belly. "Well, little sister, your ten years of being pregnant are just about over."

Then, casting a secretive grin at her sister, Rebecca bent down and reached under the bed, pulling out a large wrapped gift.

"Becca...what's this?" Michaela sputtered as her sister laid the large item on the bed.

"This is from Robert and I...just something for _you_..." she murmured.

"But...you've already done so much..."

"Go on...open it," her sister nudged, watching as Michaela tore the paper away to reveal a large Tote bag, filled with items.

"It's a 'Mommy-To-Be-Bag'," Rebecca explained as Michaela eagerly opened the carrier and looked inside, finding such things as hair ties, comb & brush, her favorite gum, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, nighttime slippers, cozy socks, a CD compilation of her favorite music, a DVD of her favorite movie, Q-tips, nail file, and a lovely lavender nursing gown, among other things.

As their eyes met again, Rebecca shrugged with a chuckle. "We tried to think of all the essentials to take with you to the hospital...but, well...that was before I knew about you using a 'birthing center'..."

"Oh, no...thank you Becca! I'm sure I'll get much use out of each and every item...it's such a thoughtful gift," Michaela countered sincerely. "Thank you...and thank Robert for me."

"You're welcome, Michaela," her sister murmured sincerely.

"You really are the best big sister in the whole world...do you know that?" Michaela added with a sniffle, reaching to pull her sister into her arms for a long, heartfelt hug.

OOOOOOOO

That night, Sully and Michaela lay snuggled together in bed, Michaela gently massaging the bruise on Sully's chest with one hand as she silently thanked God his mishap had not resulted in a worse injury.

"I'm sorry I scared you today, Chaela...I wish Brian hadn't taken off to go get you..." Sully fussed softly. "Ya had me worried when you came runnin' like that..."

Michaela smiled softly, and then gave a soft chuckle as she pictured herself hurrying down the driveway toward her stricken husband. "If you can call what I did '_running'_...I fear I resembled a large overstuffed goose who has forgotten how to fly and can only waddle along on overly large webbed feet..."

Sully chuckled at the picture that produced. "Nah, I wouldn't say you're _that_ bad..." he murmured, leaning his head to press his lips to hers as she tilted her head back to give him access.

"Are your legs hurtin'?" he asked softly, more than a little worried that the dreaded shooting pains would be bad that night because of her unexpected 'marathon' down the driveway.

She smiled lovingly and shook her head. "No, they feel fine. How could they not – with all of the massaging you gave them a few minutes ago?" she teased lovingly.

His expression waxing serious, he held her gaze in the soft moonlight.

"Chaela...you gotta take care of yourself...you shouldn't to gettin' all stressed and scared like that..." he began.

"Don't," she whispered, placing two fingers gently on his lips, which reflexively puckered and kissed the digits. "I couldn't help it...you _know_ when something happens to you, or to one of the children...I lose my common sense for a few minutes until I can make sure everything is all right...or I can catch my breath and allow the physician within me to emerge and figure out what to do," she whispered with a wry grin. "You're my _life_, Sully," she added softly, her eyes overflowing with love for him. Tilting her head again for his kiss, he willingly obliged.

"I should be telling _you_ to take better care of _yourself_– so that I won't have to get frightened and take off running," she finished with a touch of 'Michaela zing.'

He chuckled and shook his head slightly; adoring every nuance of this woman he loved.

"I promise. From now until the baby is born, I'll be on my best behavior. Okay?"

"And you always keep your promises, right?" she whispered with a twinkle, their lips millimeters apart.

"Count on it," he whispered back, allowing their lips to connect, each one sighing as the familiar sparks ignited between them.

After a few moments, Sully reluctantly ended the kiss and helped his wife with her nightly ritual of finding a comfortable position within her humongous pillow - making sure that she could disentangle herself easily for her nightly visits to the little room down the hall - before snuggling down for the night and whispering their customary endearments.


	30. Spring Has Sprung

**CHAPTER 30 – SPRING HAS SPRUNG**

Michaela hugged her friend tightly, sad that the time had marched ahead and her visit had come to an end. Rebecca and Elizabeth had already said their goodbyes to their new friend and had stepped back to allow Michaela and the children to see her off.

"Louise, I can't thank you enough for coming, and...for everything," she murmured, knowing the older woman would understand the nuances of the statement, such as running interference between her and her mother. "I'm going to miss you," she added, truly meaning the sentiment.

Louise pulled back and met her younger friend's eyes. "Oh, we'll still keep in touch by phone and Facebook, and my son set me up on Skype a few weeks ago. Do you Skype?"

Michaela chuckled, amazed at her web savvy friend. "Yes, I do. My friend Snowbird and I chat on Skype quite often.

"Good," Louise grinned. "And we'll be seeing each other again, dear. Why, you and the family can come and visit me _anytime_...and I'd be pleased to come and stay for several days any time you'd have me."

Nodding, her smile a bit watery, Michaela hugged Louise again, whispering, "I'm so glad God put you in my life...I only wish I could be as much a blessing to _you_ as you've been to _me_..."

Louise returned the hug, murmuring sincerely, "You have, my dear...in more ways than you can imagine. You know...the Bible points out that 'no prophet is accepted in his hometown..."

Michaela pulled away again, wiping a tear as she met her friend's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Well, let's just say...my children are grown and on their own...they, well...they tend to think I'm a bit old fashioned in my ideas and advice. Being with you, and your lovely young family...makes me feel needed again..."

Michaela shook her head softly. "They just can't see the forest for the trees, then. Or see what a treasure you really are," she added with a grin.

"Thank you, my dear," the older woman replied, grinning happily. "I've so enjoyed seeing your lovely home, meeting your friends, getting to know your mother and your sweet sister, and spending time with the children. I feel as if I'm almost part of the family," she added with a twinkle as Michaela nodded that she felt that, too.

"Now, I'd better go, or I'll miss my bus."

Seeing the look on Michaela's face, Louise added, "And don't you worry about seeing me to the bus station. You stay here and _rest_. And besides," she teased in a pseudo whisper, loud enough for Sully to hear, "I'll get to be in the company of a young, handsome man for a little while – you don't mind sharing, do you?"

A round of laughter accompanied her teasing as Louise bid goodbye to everyone for the final time and allowed Sully to place her in the passenger seat of the Escalade for the ride to the bus terminal.

Michaela sighed, wishing her friend lived in Colorado Springs instead of eight hours away. Her presence and cheerful, faith-filled, upbeat attitude had been a soothing counterpoint to Elizabeth's decidedly negative slant.

"And I'm so happy you won the prize for the 'No Say Baby' game," Michaela added with a grin.

"Oh I am, too. It was _meant_ for me, it has all my favorite things!" the vivacious older woman added with a chuckle, speaking of the gift bag loaded with designer teas, a heavenly scented candle, Godiva chocolates, and her favorite hand lotion.

Michaela laughed delightedly.

Louise took Michaela's hand and murmured with a twinkle. "I still say I think it's a girl."

"You'll be one of the first to know if you're right," Michaela promised, giving her friend's hand a last squeeze as Sully put the vehicle in gear and turned it around for the drive to the bus terminal in downtown Colorado Springs.

OOOOOOOO

"Oh Dorothy, this book is amazing...it's like the journal come to life in literary form – only it goes well beyond it!" Michaela gushed as she perused the treasured book Dorothy had thought to see if she could find at the main library in Old Colorado Springs. And she had – they had one copy of the book, published in 1901.

"Dorothy was a very good author. I noticed that when I read her book, _Our Town_," she agreed.

"My goodness...so many different types of surgeries and medical cases...and to think, my ancestor was the first woman published in the Journal of the American Medical Society..." Michaela murmured as she scanned a page listing the whopping thirty-three published articles covering various topics.

"Yes, she was an extraordinary woman. Not that you're _not_..." Dorothy added, meeting her friend's eye. After a beat, they both chuckled.

"I'm the first to admit that I'm not the 'woman' she was in all things. I've never spent days on horseback, sleeping on the ground, eating whatever can be found on the land...I've never jumped from a cliff with Indians shooting at me...I've never operated on anyone by _candlelight_..."

"Well...that don't mean that you couldn't if push came to shove, Michaela," Dorothy assured her friend. "Your ancestor did those things because she _had_ to. We never know _what_ we're capable of till the need arises."

"True. I just hope I'm never called upon for any of those," Michaela murmured with a chuckle.

"Well, _you've_ done somethin' your ancestor never did..." Dorothy reminded with a twinkle.

"_What_?" Michaela asked, turning her head to meet her friend's eyes.

"Your Sully was bitten by a rattler and you saved his life – when you were still newlyweds," Dorothy pointed out confidently, remembering Michaela's undeterred determination during that horrific time.

Michaela smiled, but shook her head softly. "But I didn't have to watch him take his last breath and then fight to bring him back." Moving her eyes back to the book, she nevertheless saw not the printed page, but images in her mind from another narrative.

"Michaela didn't write too much about it...but I could read between the lines. I don't know how she did it – to finally find him after searching for days...only to have him stop breathing before her very eyes. Then have the presence of mind to not just freak out, but to breathe life into him again."

Dorothy nodded silently, imagining such a scenario between her and Loren, which was too much like her nightmare for her comfort.

Michaela continued softly. "I could feel her terror...and I know she must have screamed his name, begging him not to leave her, desperately blowing puffs of air into his mouth, hoping against hope that it would work – and mercifully it _did_."

Drawing in a breath, she added, "Her relief when he finally drew in one of those breaths and whispered her name must have been nearly all consuming for her. But then, immediately after weathering _that_ hurdle...she had to press red hot metal to her husband's leg and cauterize the infected wound - her narrative briefly mentions that even in his unconscious state, he screamed out in agony," she whispered, pausing as a shiver ran through her body, silently praying a quick prayer that nothing catastrophic like that ever happened to her own precious husband.

"I remember how it pierced _my_ heart when Sully winced as I merely put an I.V. in his arm..." Michaela added as the other woman smiled understandingly and patted her hand. "At times, she seemed to have nerves of steel...but as we know, at other times, she was soft and fragile, like any other woman."

"She was a remarkable woman," Dorothy quietly intoned, her eyes scanning a page listing some of the first Michaela's exploits.

"Yes, she certainly was," Michaela agreed in quiet amazement.

For the next few minutes, the two friends read in companionable silence about a woman so important to the lives of so many – a woman they both wished they could have had the honor of knowing.

OOOOOOOO

Sometime later as they continued to scan the fascinating book together, gasping at items, laughing together over some, and thoroughly immersed in the first Dorothy's engaging writing style, Michaela asked, "How are the plans for the wedding coming along? And Horace & Myra's..."

"Very good," Dorothy returned, but added with a sigh, "My photographer cancelled out on me, though. I've been looking for another..."

"The one that took the photos for Daniel and Sarah's wedding was excellent. I think he was reasonably priced too, if I remember..."

"Do you remember his name?" Dorothy asked, instantly interested.

Michaela pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "No...but I saved a link to his website so that I could view the pictures...although I'm ashamed to say I've never taken the time to do so." Glancing at her friend with a grin, she added, "Shall we go up and have a look, see if you like his work?"

Dorothy nodded delightedly, and helped her quite pregnant friend up off the couch and up the homestead's steep steps. In a few minutes, they were cooing over the photos.

"Sarah made a lovely bride. And Daniel was very handsome in his tuxedo. Though...not as handsome as someone else," Michaela added impishly, clicking the next picture, which happened to be a very good photo of Sully and Daniel together, both grinning happily as if they had just shared a private joke.

"How many shots did he take?" the newspaperwoman asked, smiling at the next picture on the screen.

Michaela glanced to the bottom of the screen, "Over three hundred."

Dorothy hummed appreciation at the goodly amount as they continued browsing, commenting on the poses for the shots and the excellence of the lighting.

Then, Michaela clicked the next photo and froze, staring at the screen.

"My God...who is _that_?" Dorothy whispered, her eyes large.

Michaela swallowed dryly, staring at an image of her husband, standing on the steps of the altar in the lovely Denver church...holding the ankle of the blonde 'Catherine'. They were both laughing delightedly, the young woman leaning suggestively into Sully's side as he held her leg in what appeared to be an attempt to place a shoe on her foot, as if she were Cinderella and he, Prince Charming.

"Her...her name is Catherine. She was Sarah's Maid of Honor..." Michaela mumbled just above a whisper.

Dorothy glanced at Michaela's face, her brow furrowing. "What is it, Michaela?" she asked quietly.

Michaela recovered quickly, shaking her head as she remembered the argument she and Sully had over the girl...but also his explanation and how they made up on the ride home.

"Nothing," she answered brightly, determinedly clicking the next image. In it, the entire bridal party was pictured, with Catherine and Sully laughing and standing very close on the steps, his arm around her waist. The next picture showed them sitting together on the steps, arm in arm, Catherine holding the bouquet as if she'd caught it. The next showed Sully laughing and holding the garter above his head, and out of Catherine's reach, as she leaned on him, grasping for it and winking toward the camera. Another showed both laughing as Sully seemed to be all thumbs, trying to disengage his cuff link from the off-shoulder top of the girl's dress. Each picture appeared more incriminating than the last, and seemed as if you were seeing the beginnings of a romance – a future couple meeting as Maid and Best Man.

The final two shots of the bridal party – one of the bride and groom with Sully and Catherine, the latter two holding up two fingers behind the newlywed's heads and grinning at each other in conspiracy, and the other, of them turned toward each other and high-fiving, grinning madly - did nothing to dispel the intended impression.

Michaela sat still, staring at the picture of her handsome, happy husband, smiling into the eyes of another woman...a younger, _shapely_, blonde woman with sparkling blue eyes and a dazzling smile. Unconsciously, a muscle in her jaw tightened as she clamped her teeth together, one hand reflexively slipping to the furthermost edge of her extremely large belly as the child within moved, perhaps in response to its mother's suddenly intense emotions.

"Michae_laaaa_..." Dorothy fussed as she sensed the horns of a green-eyed monster trying to push their way through her friend's lovely copper hair.

With effort, Michaela dragged her eyes away from Catherine's silky blonde hair, and deliberately fixed them on the knowing blue gaze of her friend. Drawing in a large breath, and feeling decidedly unsexy, unlovely, and as big as a barn, she murmured, "Sully and I had...a rather large argument about that girl."

"Well, I can see they seemed to...hit it off, but..."

"Oh Dorothy...I was so jealous of her, I'm ashamed of the way I acted toward him...how I spoke to him," she whispered self-deprecatingly.

Dorothy nodded, pursing her lips in thought. "How did he react to that?"

Michaela smiled softly, dropped her head a moment and then raised it again enough to meet Dorothy's eyes.

"He was...typically Sully. He accused me of being jealous, which I hotly denied," she answered, remembering the 'scene' after the reception. "I asked him what I was supposed to think, and he told me I was supposed to just trust him. Somehow, the look in his eyes when he said that took me instantly to the debacle of my meeting with Preston Lodge – how incriminating that looked, when in fact it was totally innocent - and I knew Sully had done nothing wrong. On the way home, he found a way to turn our argument into one of our most romantic interludes," she confessed with a soft smile.

Dorothy patted her hand reassuringly. "Well, Michaela, don't you worry. Sully's a normal man, and a pretty girl will always turn a man's head. It's _nature_."

"Oh, she was more than pretty...she seemed...almost effervescently beautiful," Michaela murmured thoughtfully, her eyes drawn again to the image on the screen.

"_But_, your husband only has eyes for _you_. I've never seen a man more devoted to his wife. Why, he can't have a conversation with _anyone_ without your name coming up at least once. He can't stay away from you for more than a few hours at a time..." she paused, grinning as they both heard the front door open downstairs.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Dorothy quickly rose to her feet.

"Michaela...I just remembered I have an appointment in fifteen minutes. I've got to run, but thank you for showing me the pictures. I'll contact him right away and try to secure him for the weddings," she said hastily. "Bye now."

Michaela barely had time to murmur a goodbye before her friend was out the door.

Meeting at the base of the stairs, the wise newspaperwoman exchanged a quick greeting with the rancher.

"Michaela upstairs?" he asked with a grin, drying his freshly washed hands on a paper towel.

Dorothy nodded, adding mischievously, "I think you may have some explainin' to do," before waving a quick goodbye and crossing to the front door to let herself out, the man of the house watching her exit with a confused look.

Shrugging, he turned toward the stairs and took them two at a time, calling when he reached the top, "Michaela?"

"In here," she called from the girls' room.

"There ya are," he greeted with a dimpled grin, swooping in to deliver a thorough smooch as he slipped his right hand to her belly for a warm caress. She reacted as she always did - eyes closing with a soft sigh as she enjoyed her husband's attentions.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked after a few moments, glancing at the screen and seeing what looked like his friend Daniel's wedding pictures.

"Dorothy and I were viewing the pictures of Daniel and Sarah's wedding. She's thinking of using their photographer," Michaela answered calmly, having switched the pictures back to the beginning.

Sully settled down into Dorothy's vacated chair with a soft chuckle. "I can't believe I ain't looked at 'em _myself_ yet," he commented as they began to peruse the photographs together, laughing at some, awwwing at others.

Michaela sat biding her time until...the image of Sully holding Catherine's leg appeared on screen, thoroughly scrutinizing his expression as he saw it.

Sully viewed the image, remembering how uncomfortable the moment made him feel and how he laughed awkwardly to cover his embarrassment at being asked to assist. He shook his head, grimacing slightly.

Turning, his eyes met Michaela's carefully controlled expression. He wondered what she was thinking behind those cool two-toned eyes.

"Oh man, that was the longest thirty minutes, takin' all those 'wedding party' shots," he remembered, shaking his head. "The photographer kept comin' up with all these off-the-wall ideas. It seemed like it was takin' forever. He kept puttin' all the 'pairs' together...it was so crazy, we all started feelin' like we were gettin' punch drunk or somethin'," he explained with a wry grin. "All I kept thinkin' the whole time was..._I wonder what Michaela's doin'...I wonder who she's talkin' to...Dang I wish this was over so I can get back to her..."_

"You _were_?" Michaela breathed softly, her eyes beginning to mist as she stared into the vibrant blue of her husband's, so close and sparkling in the afternoon sun from a window, his expression so honest and transparent.

"Mmm hmm," he murmured, thinking how lovely she looked at that moment, her hair falling in waves down her back, her eyes somehow more vibrantly green and richly brown than normal, and misting with emotion. Reaching over to rest his hand warmly and lovingly on her stomach, he mused at how beautiful she looked, even with her largest maternity shirt stretched across the expanse of her belly. Knowing it was _his_ baby inside her still thrilled him from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.

Smiling shyly, Michaela leaned toward him, needing to feel his lips touching hers. He instantly complied.

After several long moments, she softly rubbed noses with him, murmuring, "Tell me about them..."

"About what..." he whispered, caught up in total love with his precious wife as he breathed in the scent of her freshly washed hair.

"About the shots..." she prompted sweetly.

"Oh..." he paused, clearing his throat and dialing himself back a little. "Well, let's see," he began, turning back to view the screen again. Truthfully, his eyes barely grazed the image of the blonde, only stared self-deprecatingly at his own image.

"Um...the photographer wanted me and her together at the top, and as she climbed the steps, her dress caught on her heel. She started to reach down and undo it, but he told _me_ to do it...that it would make a 'cute' shot," he paused, snickering softly. "I'm laughin' cause some of the other guys are hollerin' junk at me. You know, _'Woohoo Sully, ain't you lucky'_, and crap like that. I told 'em all to take a flyin' leap."

Michaela laughed delightedly, the explanation making perfect sense as she returned her eyes to the images on the screen. She clicked the next photo, the one of Sully with his arm around the blonde.

"Aw that," he groused. "He wanted all of us to do that...see Sarah's brother has his arm around his 'mate'?" he asked, pointing to the couple on the screen, continuing, "Which was his ex-girlfriend and he _sure_ didn't want to do it."

Michaela studied the photo thoroughly, for the first time looking at the images of the other participants, and realizing all the pairs were arm in arm. She took in a large, relaxing breath as she clicked the next one.

"Um, let's see...here, he told us to sit down and pretend we were a 'future couple' and she'd just caught the bouquet. I thought that was dumb, because everybody would know the bouquet hadn't even been tossed yet, but _hey_," he shrugged.

Seeing the next one, Sully shook his head at the memory. "Here he wanted me to pretend I'd caught the garter – but he wanted her to 'flirt' with me, so he had me hold it above my head like that...and hold it...and hold it...while he fiddled with his camera." Sully had no way of knowing the photographer had been stalling, while he 'forced' them to be 'together'.

Chuckling, he added, "I must be a pretty good actor, cause what I'm really thinkin' there is my arm was startin' to fall asleep...and I wished the guy would get his friggin' act together."

Michaela laughed delightedly, leaning to wrap her arms around her husband, all traces of the resurgence of her jealousy now totally gone.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" she murmured against his lips as he grinned delightedly.

"Not in the past few hours..." he softly teased.

Eyes sparkling with love, she whispered, "I love you...I love you...I love you..." as she repeatedly pressed her lips to his, photographs of fetching blondes totally forgotten.

For the next little while, the lovers indulged in one of their favorite pastimes, and one of the few things they could still do at this stage in her pregnancy – deep, delicious kissing.

OOOOOOOO

The next afternoon, in response to the honking of a car horn, Sully rose from the couch next to his wife and went to the front door with a grin, opening it to reveal several vehicles making their way down the driveway.

He stepped out on the porch as the first one pulled to a stop and Daniel opened the driver's door, climbing out with a large teasing smirk.

"Well, we finally made it," he chuckled, circling the vehicle as the other doors opened, teens and adults emerging, and everyone gazing around the surroundings in pleasure.

"Byron Sully, I'd like to you meet Clive McCall. He's along as one of the chaperones, plus he's the father of two of the kids," Daniel introduced as Sully descended the porch steps, sticking his hand out to shake with the other man.

"Mr. McCall."

"Good to meet you, Mr. Sully. But please, call me 'Red', everybody does," the friendly, reddish/blond haired, mustached man added with a smile.

"Red it is, then. And I'm just 'Sully'," the rancher added with a twinkle as he noticed a fair resemblance between the man and Daniel, thinking they could have been brothers. The other man nodded and grinned.

Another vehicle pulled up and parked, Sarah disembarking with a smile and a wave.

"Sully!"

Sully waved back with a grin, watching more campers spilling from the car.

The third vehicle pulled up behind the others, teens and two adults emerging into the growing mix of campers converging at the base of the steps, each one busy trying to juggle duffle bags and other paraphernalia.

Sarah made her way through the throng to Daniel's side and greeted their host with a hug, introducing two other adult chaperones, namely her brother, whom Sully remembered from the wedding, and a young woman named Emily.

"Well, come on in the house for a few minutes, and I'll tell ya what I kinda had planned for the week," Sully invited, reaching to open the screen door. Immediately, young campers began to ask if they could come in and use the facilities. Sully nodded and ushered in several of the campers before entering himself.

Campers and counselors began to crowd into the living room, everyone gazing with pleasure at the warm and inviting décor as Sully made his way through the pack, Daniel or Sarah introducing each teen to their host.

As the last adult managed to squeeze in the door, Sarah smiled and reached toward her, grabbing her hand and dragging her forward.

"You two remember each other, I'm sure," she joked as Sully came face to face - _with the blonde from the wedding._

"Sully..." Catherine murmured, a little in shock.

"Catherine..." Sully mumbled, mental wheels suddenly kicking into high gear as he wondered what his wife's reaction to this development would be. _Dang! We ain't spoke of or thought about the girl in eight months until yesterday...and now here she is in our living room... _

"Your home is lovely..." Catherine complimented over the din of laughter, teasing, and roughhousing as the chaperones tried their best to corral the suddenly unruly kids, unwinding from being cooped up in the car for two hours.

"Uh...thanks," Sully returned, looking around in rising desperation for his wife to emerge from wherever she had gone.

"Um...are you...still _married_?" Catherine asked, silently planning on letting her friend Sarah have a piece of her mind for not telling her she had recruited her as chaperone for a camping trip at a ranch owned by _Sully._

Sully glanced at the blonde. "Yeah...I'm _very_ married," he answered, just as the downstairs bathroom door opened and his wife began to make her way toward him through the chaos their home had temporarily become.

Sully smiled in relief, squirming past several campers tickling and teasing each other, to take his wife's hand and usher her into the living room. With his arm possessively around her shoulders, he steered her toward the closest chaperone, who was busy separating two kids who were playing tug of war with their backpacks.

"Sweetheart, this is Mr. McCall..." he continued the introductions, Michaela smiling happily and shaking hands as she greeted their guests, and then hugged Daniel and Sarah.

"Hey, where's your kids?" Daniel asked, realizing the Sully clan seemed to be shy four people.

Michaela laughed and glanced at her husband. "Matthew is with his girlfriend, Ingrid, and the girls and Brian went to the mall in town with my mother and sister, who are here for an extended stay."

Finally, reluctantly, Sully moved aside, and keeping his hand steadily gripping Michaela's arm, his arm still around her, he murmured, "And Michaela...you remember Catherine..."

Feeling Michaela freeze still for a moment as she weathered this unexpected development, he knew she was as shocked as he had been. But surprisingly, he felt her immediately relax and unconsciously raise herself to her full height, reaching a hand forward, and saying in a sweet, even tone, "Yes, how are you, Catherine? Welcome to our home," as she took in the younger woman's short shorts, tank top, lovely sandals, smooth 'tanning bed' tan, and perfect figure.

"Thank you...Michaela," Catherine murmured quietly.

The two women stood for a moment as they shook hands, each one seemingly sizing up the other, while the man of the house stood mute, his arm still tightly wrapped around his very pregnant wife.

OOOOOOOOO

The rancher and his wife spent some time explaining to their guests the particulars of a working horse ranch, and the activities Sully had planned for the week, with Michaela informing the group that she would be available for any medical needs that might occur.

Many times, Catherine snuck unobtrusive glances at Michaela, as the doctor made pleasant conversation with those nearby, unconsciously and lovingly caressing her burgeoning belly. Making her way around the room, the younger woman spent several minutes perusing the photographs of the family on the living room mantel – especially a large collage of pictures taken on Sully and Michaela's wedding day. The sight made her grit her teeth with envy.

Moving their guests outdoors, Sully gave a brief tour of the barn, and then invited the entire group to climb on board a long flatbed trailer filled with strategically placed hay bales, for a ride out to the campsite. Everyone watched closely and was suitably fascinated by the speed with which he harnessed Prince and Vekay to the large conveyance.

Catherine, however, took one look at the scratchy hay and rolled her eyes, quickly sought out a pair of jeans in her duffle bag, and slipped them on over her shorts.

With dusk approaching, Michaela stood on the porch wishing fervently that she could go along for the ride as she smiled at her husband in response to his farewell.

"Be back in a little while," he murmured as he kissed her goodbye before climbing up onto the large conveyance. Then he snapped the reins and set the horses in motion, setting off for a far section of their land, pulling the happy group behind the sure-stepping stallions as the kids waved to Michaela and called, "See you later, Dr. Mike!"

As the trailer bumped along, the group began to sing the long version of Kumbaya, with the males intoning 'KUMBAYA' over and over, led by Daniel's strong voice, and keeping the beat by stomping their feet on the trailer's floor in the rhythm of an African spiritual. Sarah led the girls singing the words and verses in sweet harmony, their youthful voices ringing out over the rolling hills of the land. Sully thought he had never heard anything more beautiful as they rode along. He wished his wife had been able to accompany them, as he knew she would have enjoyed the pleasant trip.

The rancher deliberately took a winding, confusing trail to get to the camping area he had designated, to give the campers more of a feeling of being 'alone' with nature, and not merely twenty minutes from the nearest road. As he guided the horses around one final stand of trees, the group stopped singing and let out a collective, "Wow!" as they viewed their host's surprise.

There in the clearing stood two huge teepees across an open space from each other, beautifully decorated with geometric designs, their lodge poles pointing skyward, door flaps invitingly open. Situated between these was a large round campfire ring fashioned of smooth, round rocks, fire set already there and ready to light. A charcoal grill had been set up next to the fire ring and two picnic tables stood off to one side.

"Sully, man what's this? You said not to bring tents, but I had no clue..." Daniel began, grinning up at his friend on the driver's seat as the excited campers jabbered among themselves at this development.

Sully grinned back at him, pleased with the enthusiastic response to his efforts. "Cloud Dancin' put me in touch with a friend who rents teepees for people on vacation. He's lettin' me use 'em for nothin'. One's for the females, one's for the guys," he added with a grin.

"I'm so glad we're not sleeping out in the open," a girl near the back voiced the dread she had been feeling since she was told there would be no tents.

"Yeah, me too!"

"Me, too!"

"I must admit, I feel the same," added Red McCall with a chortle.

Daniel chuckled and shook his head, amazed at the thoughtfulness and ingenuity of his friend. Grinning at him again, he raised his hand for a high five, which Sully immediately reciprocated.

"Ok troops, let's check out our new digs!" the leader commanded.

Teens and adults alike climbed or jumped from the hay trailer and quickly made their way to the structures, touching their canvas sides in awe and amazement, and slipping inside to marvel at the sheer size of their interiors. There was plenty of room for the sleeping bags and other paraphernalia around the circular area, and the tall structures gave the overall feeling of spaciousness, without the low-roofed 'smothering' feeling of a tent.

The two long-time friends climbed down from the trailer, standing side by side as they watched the excited group of young people scampering to and fro. Daniel took note that Sully had thought to provide not one but two Port-O-Potties, located a discreet distance from the lodgings. The rancher pointed to a small tent on one side, grinning as he explained it was their bathing facility, outfitted with two solar-heated five gallon, portable camp showers.

"I don't know what to say, Sully. This is more than I ever imagined," Daniel murmured, turning to meet his friend's eyes. "Thank you."

"Aww, it's nothin'," Sully shrugged in characteristic humility. "But hey, after this week – you owe me," he added teasingly, laughingly dodging a playful shove.

OOOOOOOO

As the campfire light shown warmly against the inside of the teepee wall later that evening, Sarah smiled at her friend, chuckling a little as the blonde aggravatingly fought with an uncooperative sleeping bag. Occupying the space next to the harried counselor, Red McCall's daughter, Julia, giggled at her efforts.

"Isn't this awesome? Glad I talked you into coming along?" Sarah chatted as she worked to get her own sleeping 'nest' situated. Sarah had been concerned about her best friend for several months, watching her mope around, seemingly at loose ends, and had thought a change of scenery and adventure might do her some good. She had never known her upbeat friend to be so low in spirit.

"Sare, I've got to talk to you..._now,_" Catherine hissed in her direction, startling her friend.

"What _is_ it, Cat?"

Catherine grabbed Sarah's hand and dragged her over to the flap and outside. Then seeing Daniel, Red McCall, and Sully on the other side of the fire, their arms crossed over their chests as they stood together in casual conversation, she moaned softly and steered her friend behind their teepee and a little into the woods.

Out of breath, Sarah pulled the blonde to a stop.

"Cat, my goodness! What is going on?"

"Why didn't you tell me Sully owned the ranch we were going to?" her friend blurted desperately.

"Well...I...I thought you knew, I guess..." she stammered confused. "Why?"

Catherine clamped her mouth shut, not wishing to admit that she had been pining after, dreaming of, and fantasizing about a married man for six months. She knew that would shock her friend, and she was right.

Sarah's eyes grew large as everything suddenly became crystal clear – the reason Catherine wouldn't let her in on what had been bothering her all this time. Catherine had been moping around ever since she and Daniel had married – and she had met _Sully_!

"Oh Catherine! You're...you're stuck on _Sully_? But...he's married...and he's head over heels crazy about his wife! His very _pregnant_, about to have his baby, _wife_!"

"I _know_ that! I've got _eyes_," Catherine hissed, that realization not the least bit pleasant to the smitten young woman.

Then softening, the blonde continued, "It's just...when the photographer was taking the pictures at your wedding... Sully wasn't wearing a wedding ring...and he was so attentive, so sweet, so gentle, and kind, and..._perfect_. He's exactly what I've always wanted, and I really thought I had finally found my soul mate," she added, thinking once again of the brief moments she had relived hundreds of times over the months.

"Oh honey..." Sarah whispered, unsure of what to say as she reached a tentative hand out to gently brush the arm of her best friend.

"The way he looked at me...those blue eyes of his twinkling...that smooth masculine voice when he spoke to me...the way he would take my hand and help me up or down the stairs, like he was so concerned about me losing my balance...and he's just so darn _gorgeous_," Catherine finished with a frustrated huff, crossing her arms over her chest as if to protect herself from the power of the memories.

Sarah smiled sympathetically at her friend and shook her head. "Aw Cat...I know. He _is_ darn good looking...though in my opinion, not as much as _Daniel_," she added with a tiny grin. "But as for the other stuff...he was just being _himself_, Cat. He's a nice, kind man – to _everyone_. That's just his nature. And he can't help that his eyes twinkle – he's probably not even aware of it when they do," she added with a smile, leaning her head as she tried to catch her friend's downturned gaze.

Catherine finally lifted her head and met her friend's eyes, smiling self-deprecatingly.

"Probably not," she agreed softly. Searching her friend's eyes, she reached for one of Sarah's hands and asked in a last-ditch attempt, "Sarah...do you think there's any chance that he's not, well...totally happy with..._her_? I mean, good heavens...did you _look_ at her? She's as big as a house right now..."

Hating to hurt her friend, Sarah knew she needed to quench any hope of that, and slowly shook her head, grimacing at Catherine's crestfallen expression.

"Oh Cat, I've never seen two people more in love...their connection is amazing. He just _knows_, he _feels_ when she's frightened, or sad – and she feels _his_ emotions, too. It's like there's an invisible tether between them – no matter how many miles apart they are. He told Daniel several weeks ago that she was involved in a near collision in a car on I-25 and screamed his name – and he actually felt her fear and _heard her scream_ _for him_ there at home, prompting him to race to her side."

Pausing a moment as she imagined such an amazing bond, Sarah added wistfully, "I hope someday Daniel and I reach that level of connection..."

Then, seeing Catherine's hopeless expression, Sarah reached forward and hugged her best friend since childhood.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry. But Cat, what you need is to concentrate on something else...some_one_ else. They always say, nothing helps you get over one man better than _another_ man."

Catherine chuckled softly, hugging her friend close. "Yeah, but who in the world could replace _him_?"

Pulling back with a sassy grin, Sarah murmured, "I have someone in mind..."

"Sarah?" a voice called from the direction of the camp.

"Over here," she called as they both saw Daniel walking toward them.

"There ya are. Been lookin' for ya. Emily said you two ran out of the teepee like it was gonna catch on fire...everything alright?" he asked, trying to read the two women's expressions as he reached his wife and took her in his arms.

Glancing back at her lifelong friend, Sarah murmured, "It will be. Soon."

OOOOOOOO

Michaela pulled herself up the last few stairs from the landing, and waddled awkwardly into the bedroom she shared with Sully. _Is it my imagination...or have I grown even larger since just this morning? _She mused as she pressed a hand to the small of her back.

Sighing softly, she wished Sully were back from taking the group to the camping spot. Having waited downstairs for him as long as she could, she had finally heeded the urging of her legs and hips screaming at her to call it a night as they battled to support the extra thirty-six pounds she had gained during her pregnancy.

Managing to pry her shoes off, and sighing as her swollen feet immediately felt a tiny bit better, she began to wriggle out of the tight maternity top, wishing momentarily for Sully's help. Prying her maternity pants down and off, she leaned heavily on the bed as she stretched past her belly to pick them up off the floor.

Sighing again, she shook her head in disgust at herself, hating this last stage of pregnancy that had rendered her nearly helpless. _I've become so accustomed to Sully always being here to help me...I take him for granted. I haven't even realized how much I've settled in to relying on him..._

Stepping toward the mirror on her vanity, she turned sideways and stood gazing at her misshapen image with a grimace, watching her stomach morph as the baby pushed a foot or hand amazingly far out to the side. Shaking her head silently and reaching to pick up her hairbrush, she began to draw it listlessly through the long strands of her hair as she stared ahead, focusing inwardly.

_Catherine_..._why did you have to come_ _with the group_? She mused, picturing the younger woman's flawless abs displayed by the tank top...the perfectly toned legs...the silky blonde hair held back by a sparkling headband. Everything about the girl was so... _different_ from herself. She tried not to let the images of the girl and Sully she had seen the just day before enter her mind...images of him smiling at her in camaraderie...

Pausing a moment, she turned her head and stared toward the drawer that held the beloved journal, knowing Michaela had had to deal with her own 'Catherine'...but she decided against reading the narrative without her husband. The last two times she had done that, she had very much regretted the action. _No_, _I won't do that again..._she mused with a negative shake of her head.

Her eyes idly glanced at the calendar on the wall as she strove to force her mind on to something else, and vaguely realized it was the day of the week when she usually filmed her pregnancy update. She sighed again. _Might as well. _

Turning on extra lights and flipping on the background music, Michaela set the camera and performed the actions, wearing only her pregnancy underwear, and turning this way and that - though this time her heart wasn't in it. Since Sully had discovered her actions that day weeks previous, he had been present for each of the subsequent tapings. Now, his absence made her feel strikingly alone and even lonely. As the song came to an end, she breathed out a quiet sigh and switched the camera off.

Glancing at the clock, she realized Sully and the youth group had been gone for two hours. _Two hours..._

Trying not to fret, she determinedly fought against the images that tried to take precedence in her mind – Catherine walking by the campfire, and all the men..._including Sully_...watching. Catherine a 'damsel in distress,' and Sully scooping her svelte body effortlessly in his arms. Catherine leaning against him, a hand on his chest as she gushed about his magnificent muscles, while he shyly murmured, 'Thanks.'

A_ pretty girl will always turn a man's head. It's nature...nature...nature..._ Dorothy's voice reminded her slyly.

_STOP IT! I refuse to indulge in such nonsense! _Michaela scolded her inner self, shaking her head against the unwanted images.

It wasn't that she thought her husband would stray. On the contrary, she knew Sully loved her and was completely devoted to her. It was more a normal bit of self-consciousness regarding her appearance at this point. No woman ever wants her husband to 'look' at another woman, even if that's all he's doing, because it's '_nature_.'

Glancing at the phone on her nightstand, she thought about calling Rebecca to see if she would come down and keep her company, and wishing fervently that the kids had not begged to stay the night with Loren...but decided against it, knowing her sister and mother had retired for the night. Even Matthew was not at home, having asked to stay the night at Ingrid's house while her father was away on one of his business trips, the family of females frightened by a recent break-in.

_Maybe Snowbird? No...if I woke her up when she's been having such trouble sleeping, I would hate myself..._

Feeling fatigued, Michaela knew she should just go to bed, but the thought of trying to get comfortable without her helpmate seemed impossibly daunting. _Should I call his cell and ask when he's coming back? Would that look like I'm checking up on him...or not trusting him? _

Stepping to the open dormer window, Michaela listened intently, hoping to hear the sounds of her husband's return, but only the normal night noises of crickets and hoot owls reached her ears. A gentle breeze ruffled the curtains, but did little to soothe her overly warm skin.

_Enough! I'm a grown woman, not a spoiled child. I'll take care of myself._

Nodding in response to her inner conversation, Michaela rather aggressively grabbed the tube of stretch mark cream from the vanity and began to vigorously rub the smooth, thick ointment into her skin. The tightly stretched skin of her stomach had begun to itch increasingly in the last few days, making her teeth feel on edge. She sighed softly as the cool, soothing cream helped her feel at least a little better, though she longed to be lying on the bed as Sully administered the treatment, working his magic as he did every night...

After several minutes, she gathered a fresh nursing bra and pads, in case of a possible 'leak' such as the one she had experienced one night earlier in the week, and a clean, voluminous gown, and determinedly made her way down the hall to the bathroom.

Brushing her teeth and completing her nightly routine, she made her way back to her unusually lonely bedroom, and spent the next ten minutes wrestling with a curiously uncooperative pillow.

Without Sully...nothing seemed to work right.

With a sigh of resignation, she reached to turn out the light, waiting in the lonely darkness for the sound of her husband's return.


	31. The Camping Trip

**CHAPTER 31 – THE CAMPING TRIP**

"Thanks, sweetheart. That was delicious," Sully murmured as he placed his plate in the sink, having just finished a large batch of blueberry pancakes. He wrapped his arms around his wife as she stood sideways to the sink, rinsing out the mixing bowl.

"You're welcome," Michaela returned, reaching for a towel to dry her hands and turning in his arms for some snuggling before they would be parted to start the activities of the day.

Resting her face in the curve of his neck, she smiled softly as she thought back to the night before. He had come to bed having taken care of the horses and taken a shower in record time.

_Entering their room, as he rubbed his hair dry following his hasty shower in the downstairs bathroom, he saw she was still awake. He felt positively awful that they had all inadvertently left Michaela alone for the evening. Not that she had been in danger, with cell phones and the house phone within reach...but still..._

"_Hey..." he murmured. _

_Michaela smiled softly as she watched him, loving the masculine sensuousness of seeing him with just a towel wrapped around his hips, water droplets here and there on his torso, his honey-colored hair appearing darker when wet. _

"_I'm sorry...I tried to wait up for you, but..." she began as he crouched by the bed. _

"_Don't," he whispered. "I'm the one that's sorry...I lost track of time..." he added with a soft shake of his head, gazing at her lovingly as he smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear with one hand._

"_You were gone quite awhile..." she prompted, unconsciously drawing her bottom lip between her teeth as she hoped he would elaborate._

_He smiled softly, leaning over to gently press his lips to hers. She could smell the pleasant masculine aroma of his deodorant and the scent of his shampoo that clung to his still damp hair. It instantly served to relax her, so familiar and warm was everything about this man she loved. She was so glad he was home..._

"_Yeah, catchin' up on things with Daniel...and gettin' to know Red. He's a real nice guy. Had it kind of hard..." he supplied as he leaned to switch on the bedside lamp, drawing back the cover and moving the large pillow so that he could begin the nightly ritual of massaging her legs. _

"_How so?" she asked softly, watching him ease himself down at the foot of the bed._

"_He said he and his two kids came to Denver four years ago from Montana," he explained, gently drawing one of her legs over his lap as he set to work. "His wife was full-blooded Cheyenne, and they were married ten years...but she got cancer and died. He said he thought he'd never get over it...and he might not have if it weren't for his kids...and his faith in God," he related quietly. _

"_Oh...to have your spouse become ill and die...I don't even want to imagine such pain..." she whispered, tears immediately pooling in her eyes. _

_He turned his head and met her gaze, his intensely serious. "Me neither...it's too awful to even..." he paused, no words even coming close to the depth of his emotions...but words weren't necessary as they communed with their eyes the intensity of their absolute need for each other. She nodded in response to his unspoken words, swallowing dryly._

_He gave a tiny smile and turned his attention back to his ministrations._

"_His boy's name is Mike...he's twelve, and his girl's nine, her name is Julia. They're beautiful kids. Both of them look pure Cheyenne, except for having blue eyes."_

"_I noticed that when they were introduced to me...they seem well-behaved, too..."_

"_Yeah, Red seems like he's a good single Dad. Done a good job with 'em."_

"_He looks a little bit like Daniel, don't you think? Like they could be brothers..." Michaela mused thoughtfully._

"_Yeah, I thought that, too. He and Daniel have become pretty good friends, too," Sully murmured with a smile as his fingers worked their magic, Michaela already forgetting her hours of angst as she had waited for him to return. _

_She nodded, adjusting her position a little. "How did they react to all of your preparations?" she asked softly, wishing she could have gone out to see the teepees._

_He grinned and glanced at her with a wink. "The girls were thrilled with the shower, but there was a few 'awwws' from the younger boys that had thought they were gonna get away with not takin' baths for a week." _

_They chuckled together at that, then fell silent for a few minutes while Sully continued his deep tissue massage on Michaela's calves and thighs in order to circumvent the shooting pains that would otherwise occur. _

"_Did ya put your cream on?" he asked softly, realizing he noticed the distinctive, but pleasant scent of the ointment._

"_Yes..." she paused, then added with a grin, "But I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as usual."_

_He chuckled and glanced her way. "Glad I'm good for somethin'."_

_She chuckled, too, knowing it wasn't necessary to refute his teasing statement._

_After a few more minutes, he snickered softly, glancing into her eyes again._

"_I think Red's got the hots for Catherine."_

"_Really? Do tell," she grinned._

"_Well, she came out of the girls' teepee a couple of times, walkin' around doin' stuff, and he'd stop talkin' and watch every move she made. He asked Daniel if she was married and a few other things about her."_

_Michaela remained silent as she remembered imagining the men watching Catherine walk, but Sully somehow read her thoughts, glancing into her eyes again with a grin. _

"_And in case you're wonderin'...neither me nor Daniel joined the 'Catherine Watchers' club. Enough of that was goin' on with Red, and with Sarah's brother, Franklin."_

"_I didn't say a word," she returned with a twinkle, shaking her head in denial of her earlier thoughts._

"_Just sayin'," he reiterated, his own eyes twinkling. _

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Sully whispered, pressing a kiss to her soft hair as he cradled her against his chest.

"Oh just...how much I love you," Michaela answered, rousing herself from the memories and luxuriating in the warm feel and scent of him as they stood together in their kitchen, thinking she would never tire of being in his arms.

"So, what is the plan for today?" she asked softly, pulling back a little to gaze up into his handsome face.

"Oh, I'm gonna show 'em different things...teach 'em some Cheyenne...get 'em used to the horses..." he mentioned, pausing as he heard a vehicle's wheels crunching on the gravel drive.

"That's probably Matthew," he murmured, moving aside the curtain on the window above the sink. "Yep. Oh, looks like he picked up the kids, too. Good," he added, giving Michaela one more squeeze and a quick kiss.

"I better get started. You feelin' okay this mornin'?" he asked softly, looking into her eyes again, one hand gently cupping her face, as he tried to determine if anything had changed with her overnight. He was becoming increasingly nervous if he had to leave her for any length of time with the birth so close.

She nodded with a smile. "See you later."

OOOOOOOO

Hearing the sounds of approaching horses sometime later, Catherine looked up from cleaning the picnic tables after the group had finished breakfast, her eyes immediately finding the man sitting proudly astride the beautiful black stallion.

A tiny gasp escaped her lips as she gazed at the majestic picture they made, the morning sun warming the honey hues of his hair, the short sleeves of the blue t-shirt showing off his large, tight muscles, white teeth sparkling in the tanned face as he grinned down at his friend from astride the large horse. As she watched, he uttered a teasing gibe of some sort, and laughed in response to the comeback from the tall golden-haired leader.

_Oh, why does he have to be everything I've always wanted in a man...but already married? Why can't I forget him? _She mused , she averted her eyes to the other riders, and wondered who they were.

Sully made quick introductions of the kids, Matthew, Hannah, and Colleen, and informed the group that they would be co-instructors regarding the horses. Catherine was momentarily surprised that Sully had children that old. _I thought he said at Daniel and Sarah's wedding he had only been married four months...are they his? Hers?_

"So, you ever been on a horse before?" a voice murmured nearby as the group drew near to their hosts and the four obviously well cared-for animals.

Catherine shook herself out of her musings and turned her head to see Red McCall standing near, gazing down at her with sparkling blue/green eyes. The expression in those eyes made her a little uncomfortable. She recognized the look – one of longing – for she knew it was present in her own countenance.

"Only once, when I was a kid. You?" she managed politely.

"Sure. I even owned a couple of mares for awhile when I lived in Montana..." he replied, not taking his eyes from her face.

Catherine nodded in reply, and then nodded again in response to Sarah beckoning for her help with something.

"Excuse me, Sarah wants me," she murmured to the handsome counselor as she made her way past him. He nodded in answer and watched her go, a pensive expression on his face.

Sully had begun to explain the nature of horses to the assembled group, and how a person needs to respect them in order to receive their respect in return. After several minutes, he allowed four of the kids to step up and get acquainted with their new equine friends, matching each camper with an 'instructor.' He paired Julia McCall and a girl near Hannah and Colleen's age with his daughters, and a young man nearly Matthew's age with his teenaged son, while he began instructing Mike McCall.

Several hours later, after everyone, including the adults, had spent time on the horses, the group took a break for lunch as Sully and the kids took their mounts back to the barn.

Daniel led a short Bible study, while everyone quietly ate their food and listened to his eloquent and heartfelt words as he taught on the subject of owning up to your mistakes and being quick to ask forgiveness of those you hurt.

OOOOOOOO

"Well, how was your morning?" Rebecca asked cheerfully, pausing a moment from setting the table as the four walked in the door for lunch.

"Great," Sully answered with a smile as he glanced around for his wife.

"It was fun. We get to be the 'instructors' now," Colleen chipped in, crossing to her aunt for a hug.

"I wish _I_ could help," Brian commented quietly, casting his gaze at the floor and scuffing one shoe.

"Oh, but Brian, you've been helping us here at home – we couldn't get along without you," his loving aunt supplied, smiling as her nephew gave her a shy, sideways glance and small grin. "And you helped your mother with lots of things this morning..." she added cheerfully.

As Elizabeth stirred a pot of soup on the stove, she glanced Sully's way and saw his concern that Michaela wasn't around, murmuring, "She's upstairs, resting."

"She okay?" he automatically asked, though didn't wait for an answer, but headed toward the stairs and took them two at a time. Rebecca met Elizabeth's eyes and they both smiled and shook their heads at Michaela's overly concerned spouse.

"Hey..." he murmured as he silently opened the door, and saw she wasn't asleep.

Michaela moved her head and smiled sleepily at him.

"Hey."

"Your Mom said you were restin'," he whispered softly, moving into the room. "You're okay, though...I mean, no pains or..."

"No, I'm fine. I just forget how small my stomach is now, with the baby pushing on it," she confessed, slightly embarrassed. At his bemused look, she clarified, "I eat too much and allow myself to become what is known as..._bloated. _And believe me, it is _not_ pleasant."

"What causes it?" he asked, easing down next to her and automatically beginning to gently massage her belly with whisper soft caresses as he scanned her face for her true condition, in case she was trying to hide anything from him.

"Oh, because my metabolism has slowed down, to give the food I eat more time to enter my bloodstream and nourish the baby. I just keep forgetting to eat smaller portions, more often," she explained, raising a hand to delicately cover her mouth and hide a yawn, a night of repeated bathroom visits having taken its toll. She was overdue for her regular nap.

He smiled affectionately, asking softly, "So, I guess you don't want lunch right now?"

"Not right now...but probably in an hour," she added with a chuckle, rolling awkwardly to her back. As she settled, she chuckled again as the large mound of her belly blocked most of her husband from her view.

"I feel like a beached whale," she joked, and then waxing a tiny bit serious, she laid her hand atop one of his as he continued to caress her and their baby, adding softly, "Sometimes I wonder...I mean I can't help but think...I've grown so huge with the baby...how could you possibly find me attractive _at all_ right now...?"

"Are you still wonderin' that? After all this time...?" he asked softly, knowing he needed to tread extra carefully. Michaela was a strong, confident woman, but he knew her emotions had taken quite a few hits during this pregnancy.

He had thought long and hard about the unexpected, awkward situation of Michaela suddenly forced face to face with the only woman who had caused jealous unrest between them – and he was determined that her vulnerability due to the stage of her pregnancy would not cause her any feelings of lack or comparison.

Crouching next to the bed, he gazed up at her, his feelings and emotions clear for her to see, his eyes soft and vulnerable. Taking one of her hands, he pressed it to his lips, his eyes holding hers steadily.

"Let me ask you somethin'...when I got bit by that rattler and my arm swelled up almost twice its size...when you found me sick as a dog in my pickup last time I had a bad migraine...when my back was beat to a pulp by the hail...did you find me 'less attractive'?"

Smiling softly, thinking his choice of analogy quite wise, she reached to place both hands on his face and gently pulled him forward, their eyes drifting shut as lips met in a smooth kiss.

As he pulled back a bit, he grinned softly, eyes twinkling. "Good answer."

OOOOOOOO

That evening, Sully, Matthew, Ingrid, and the kids sat with the group around the campfire. Brian sat in the circle of his father's legs, thrilled that he had been allowed to come along, and gazed up at him in rapt attention. Sully kept the group enthralled with the history of the Cheyenne, and how his own best friend and brother, Cloud Dancing, was directly descended from one of the few that were left after the government tried to exterminate them.

"The Cheyenne call themselves, 'Tsistsistas', which means, 'The People'," Sully explained. "My ancestor, who built this ranch in 1870, was a friend to the Cheyenne when there were still thousands of them living in Colorado. In his lifetime, he watched them be systematically starved, killed, sickened with 'white man' diseases, tricked and lied to, hunted for bounty, and finally forced out because the government wanted their land."

"Gosh, Mr. Sully, that's awful..." Julia McCall whispered, glancing up at her father as she sat in his arms. He nodded silently, thinking about what he knew of his deceased wife's direct ancestors.

"It sure was, Julia," Sully agreed solemnly.

"Your best friend is Cheyenne? Can you speak their language?" one of the kids asked.

"Sure he can! He's flu...flue...what's that word, Dad?" Brian interjected.

"Fluent, Brian. And I can hold my own," Sully answered humbly, as Matthew and Hannah snickered at his modesty, having both witnessed their father talking with friends at the reservation, never pausing or missing a word, just as if he were Cheyenne himself.

"Let's hear you say something!"

"Please!" the kids begged.

Sully glanced around with a grin, trying not to notice that Catherine had not taken her eyes off of him since he had rejoined the group after dinner.

"Well...all right. Let's see... He'še tséhnéehóveto vonéstánóvé onéhavo'e ma'heóneva, voneotse nanomónestôtse ována'xaéstanove," he spoke out eloquently, the complicated pronunciations sounding to the untrained ear a bit like French as they rolled effortlessly off his tongue.

"Dang! You sure _are_ fluent," Red responded, suitably impressed. Daniel chuckled and shook his head, having heard his friend speak Cheyenne many times before.

"What did you just say?" Sarah asked with a grin as the others around the circle mumbled their amazement.

"I said, 'When you lose the rhythm of the drumbeat of God, you are lost from the peace and rhythm of life.' It's somethin' Cloud Dancin's father used to say all the time."

"Your pronunciation is right on, man. I understood some of the words, but I could never get the hang of it like you – it rolls off your tongue like you were born to it," Red complimented.

"Thanks," Sully mumbled his appreciation, though added with a humble shrug, "I've been speakin' it my whole life. I guess its just second nature to me."

"Pêhévóohe hotse'ót," Red complimented with a grin, telling his new friend he'd done a good job.

"Néá'eše," Sully thanked him, eyes twinkling as he brought two fingers to his lips, the sign for 'thank you.'

Catherine hugged her knees to her chest and glanced from Sully to the tall, handsome counselor sitting across the fire from her. She smiled a little as he tilted his head back and laughed at another of Sully's Cheyenne comments, answering in Cheyenne himself. For the first time, she began to see Red McCall as quite interesting...and she was amazed at herself that the invisible pull Sully had unknowingly inflicted upon her might possibly be starting to lessen.

Red's son, Mike, joined in the game, and for the next little while, Sully taught the group simple words in Cheyenne, with Red, Mike, and Julia, as well as Hannah, chiming in when they could.

OOOOOOOOO

The next morning, Sully spent some time with Michaela, and then took his truck to the campsite to pick up the group and bring them back to the ranch. More than excited, they climbed into the cab, piled into the bed of the truck, and perched on the open tailgate, wherever they could squeeze on, and had a great time, laughing and hollering as the vehicle bounced along on the trail.

Once back at the barn, Sully allowed each camper and counselor to take turns riding the horses around the large perimeter of the house and barns, with Matthew or the others leading groups of five.

As lunchtime neared and the last group came back to the barn, Sully began showing the novice riders how to cool off the horses after a ride.

"To take proper care of your horse, ya always need to cool it down after a workout, or you run the risk of causin' damage. See, when a horse is usin' its muscles, its digestive system all but shuts down. That's because the blood that normally delivers oxygen and fuel to power the gut is diverted to the horse's big muscles to power motion," he explained, leading Prince over near the water hose and unbuckling the saddle, effortlessly swinging the heavy leather object off the horse's back and onto a nearby rail as the others struggled to follow his lead, older kids and counselors working together to copy their mentor.

"That means coolin' down properly is essential to a horse's health and well-being. Failin' to do so properly can cause damaged muscles, laminitis – which is swellin' of the foot, and even colic," he explained knowledgeably.

"The way I like to do this is get the horse good and wet with the hose, wash away any dirt or sweat and really help it cool off, till it starts to breath more calm, and then," he paused, having been demonstrating his technique as he talked, while a group of eager learners crowded around.

Reaching for what looked like a squeegee you would use on the windshield of a car, only smaller, he began to run it along Prince's hair, starting on his neck and back and working his way down the stallion's sides.

"You squeegee it off," he explained as the riders chuckled. "It always amazes me how much water comes off like this," he added with a grin.

"Now that's a good trick. Why didn't I think of that?" Red joked as he watched their host professionally grooming his magnificent black stallion.

Sully chuckled, knowing exactly what Red meant, having dried his horses the 'old fashioned' way for years.

"My friend, Cloud Dancin', thought of it. One day we were bone tired, after a long day of workin' on the ranch and hostin' ridin' customers, and he said he wished there was a faster way to get the water out of Vekay's coat. Then lookin' around, he grabbed a squeegee off a shelf and tried it, and whalah. Been doin' it ever since."

Catherine and her new young friend Julie, chuckled as they worked together to squeegee Maggie dry, though Catherine's eyes unconsciously strayed time after time to the well muscled back of their rancher host.

Just then, the front door of the homestead opened and Brian stuck his head outside, yelling to his father in the paddock, "Dad, Mom don't feel good!"

Sully's eyes grew large with worry and he immediately handed his squeegee to Red, mumbling, "Take over for me," before dashing to the gate and out of the paddock without waiting for an answer.

Catherine watched him run full speed, taking the porch steps in two strides, before disappearing inside the house. Sighing pensively, she turned back to the task at hand.

As Sully reached the living room, seeing Michaela was by herself and sitting at the kitchen table, he hurried to her side.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? Pains?" he murmured worriedly, hunkering down beside her chair and laying one hand on her thigh, the other smoothing her hair back to try and see her face, as she was sitting with her head resting in her hands.

"No...I'm fine. I've just been feeling slightly dizzy...I'm afraid I frightened Brian..." she explained apologetically, feeling a bit guilty that she had unnecessarily taken her husband away from instructing their camping guests.

"She was weavin' around, and almost fell down!" Brian injected worriedly.

"Think the baby's makin' your blood sugar low again?" Sully surmised, remembering a similar incident happening several days previous.

Michaela nodded with a sigh, hating that she couldn't seem to think clearly and make a diagnosis on her own. "Possibly..."

"Brian, grab some of those granola bars there for your Mom," he instructed, pointing to a box on the counter. "I'll get her some milk."

They each quickly brought the items to the table, with Sully encouraging her to sip the milk as he opened the packages.

With her guys closely watching every bite, Michaela finished two bars and the glass of milk, drawing in a large, relaxed breath several minutes later.

"Better?" Sully asked softly, one hand lovingly caressing her left hand as she smoothed a strand of hair back from her own forehead with her right.

"Yes. The dizziness is subsiding," she murmured with a sigh. "Thank you, sweetheart. I just couldn't seem to think straight and tell myself what to do..."

"That's okay," he whispered with a shake of his head. "That's why you got _us_," he quipped with a dimpled grin. "Where's your Mom and Becca?" he added, realizing he didn't see them anywhere.

"They left to go to Loren's for a few things. They wanted me to go too, to get out for some fresh air, but I was feeling tired. Then after they left, I started feeling dizzy and lightheaded," she explained, gazing into his eyes apologetically.

Sully smiled softly at his beautiful, largely pregnant wife, reaching a hand to gently caress the hard mound of her belly. "Wow...feels so tight...like an overfilled basketball," he joked softly. "And ya got another ten days to go..." he added sympathetically, his lips forming a small pout as he met her weary eyes.

"I don't know if I can last that long, Sully. It seems in the last week, everything has escalated exponentially," she returned, trying hard not to whine. "The itching, the bloating, the shortness of breath. My abdomen seems to grow larger by the hour. I can't find a comfortable position lying or sitting...I'm tired all the time...but it's a different sort of tired," she added, unbidden tears forming in her eyes, as talking about it only seemed to make everything feel worse.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked, raising both hands to her face.

Sully immediately drew her into his arms, albeit awkwardly as it was difficult to maneuver. "Ssshh, it's okay," he whispered.

Drawing her face into the curve of his neck, he gently caressed her hair and rubbed her back, rocking her slowly, glancing at their young son as the boy looked on in concern. The two males met each other's eyes, both at a loss as to how to help this woman who meant the world to them, _aching_ to help..._somehow_.

"Mom...is there anything I can do to help ya?" the boy asked softly, reaching out a tentative hand to rub his mother's arm.

After a few moments, Michaela drew in a shuddering breath, determined to get a hold of her emotions. Sitting back from Sully's embrace as he hovered closely, she wiped at her eyes with the back of her left hand, reaching her right toward her son and drawing him against her side.

Meeting Sully's eyes, she lowered hers to her left hand, fighting a resurgence of tears as she admitted to herself that the time for one thing she had dreaded had arrived.

Raising her eyes to her husband's again, she addressed her son, saying softly, "Yes, sweetheart. Would you go up to my room and bring me the gold ribbon that is lying on my vanity?"

"Sure Mom!" Brian instantly responded, glad to have something he could actually do to help, and took off up the steps like a shot.

"I don't want to take them off..." she whispered, tears filling her eyes again as Sully, pressing his lips together sympathetically, gently took her hand in both of his, silently wincing as he really took notice of how tight her rings had become.

OOOOOOOOO

After that, the campers' days settled into a comfortable routine of riding the horses, listening to Sully conduct lessons on how to survive if they were ever stranded outdoors, having their meals, quiet time of Bible study and discussion, and free time in and around the teepees.

For the most part, the campers treated each other with respect - no one taking an inordinately long time in the latrines or the showers, and no major fights, disagreements, or injuries had plagued the peaceful trip, much to Daniel and Sully's delight.

The morning of the fourth day, a group of six, including Red McCall and his son Mike, were out on an extended ride, this time with Red acting as guide. He had been amused that his daughter Julia had elected to stay back with the others in and around the barn, but he knew the reason – she loved spending time with the beautiful counselor, Catherine.

The two females had grown quite close in the four days so far of the trip, and they decided to wander, with several other girls, around the meadow in back of the barn, looking for four leaf clovers.

"Miss Catherine! Look, is this one?" the excited nine-year-old exclaimed as she bent down and picked a small green leafed object, running with it to show her friend.

Handing it to the pretty blonde, she waited excitedly, nearly hopping from one foot to another while her friend examined her find.

"Yes, it sure is, Julia! Good job!" Catherine exclaimed, reaching to give her young friend a high-five.

"Yay! I think I saw another one over there," the girl replied, skipping back to her previous location and quickly bending down to grab it, not noticing the insect resting on the next plant.

"Ow!" she yelled suddenly, bolting up straight and running to Catherine, tears streaming down her face when she reached her.

"What is it, honey?" Catherine asked concernedly, trying to take hold of the girl's hand, but she was hopping up and down, shaking the hand in pain.

"A wasp..." she gasped. "A wasp stung me!"

"Oh honey, let me see..." Catherine began, finally managing to secure the girl's hand in hers and saw, indeed, a stinger on the back, near her pinky. "Let me get the stinger out..." she murmured, grasping it with her fingernails and pulling; not realizing the action caused more of the insect's venom to be injected.

"It hurts, Miss Catherine...and it's burning..." Julia moaned, crying even harder.

"Come on, sweety," Catherine encouraged. "Let's go see if the doctor has some medicine to put on it," she added, though she didn't relish having to spend any time in Sully's wife's presence.

Calling to the other girls to be careful and watch out for wasps, and to stay within sight, she placed a gentle arm around the girl and the two began to walk toward the barn. As they walked along, Catherine tried to engage the girl in conversation to get her mind off of the situation, but only received mumbled answers. They had gone about a third of the way when Julia began to wheeze.

"Honey, what's wrong?" she asked as the girl began to sway a bit, one hand going to her throat as she gasped, "I...I can't...breathe so good..."

Realizing the girl must be having an allergic reaction, her hand and arm already beginning to swell, Catherine quickly scooped her up in her arms and began to run toward the barn.

"DANIEL! SULLY!" she screamed in fright, Julia's blue eyes large with fear as she began to gasp for breath.

The two men appeared at the back door of the barn, and Daniel instantly began to run toward the girls.

"What's wrong?" Sully called, already suspecting a medical emergency.

"Julia can't breathe!" Catherine called as she ran, almost stumbling in a small rut in the dirt.

Sully immediately turned on his heel and sprinted toward the house, yelling, "Michaela! Come quick!"

Luckily Michaela was downstairs and made it quickly to the door, she and Rebecca coming out on the porch. "Sully? What is it?"

"Julia McCall – Catherine said she can't breathe," he supplied, pausing as he waited for her to say what he figured she would.

"Take her to the clinic – and get me there – hurry!" she ordered, already beginning to clamber down the steps as he immediately nodded and turned to sprint to the pickup, pulling it to the steps for Michaela to climb in, knowing she couldn't run down the long driveway.

Pulling up to the barn, they met Daniel coming out with the girl in his arms, Catherine hovering close. The other campers gathered in concern, each one squealing, "What's wrong with her?"

"Climb on the back with her," Sully ordered, pausing the truck long enough for Daniel to shinny onto the tailgate with the child in his arms, Catherine jumping on also, as other campers and counselors looked on in worry.

"Hang on, Julia honey," Catherine murmured as the girl struggled to breathe, gasping in labored, fearful breaths. "Sshh, try to stay calm," she added softly, tenderly stroking the girl's forehead as the child clutched at the front of Daniel's shirt, her eyes wide with fear. Daniel and Catherine exchanged glances, trying not to let the girl see how worried they were, as her skin was already showing a hint of blue, due to lack of oxygen.

Within thirty seconds, they were at the clinic porch. Daniel hopped down and carried the stricken girl as Sully gently assisted his wife inside, Michaela moving as quickly as she possibly could.

"Put her on the table," she ordered, quickly taking charge and in full Dr. Quinn mode.

"What happened?" she asked as she grabbed her stethoscope to listen to the girl's chest.

"She was stung by a wasp," Catherine quickly provided, twisting her hands together worriedly.

Michaela glanced at her, then at the girl. "Are you allergic to wasp stings, sweetheart?" she asked gently.

"I...I..." the girl tried, finally shrugging as she lapsed into a coughing spell.

Examining the girl's now swollen hand and arm, the swelling climbing higher by the minute, Michaela knew exactly the problem. "It's anaphylactic shock," she murmured, turning quickly to her husband. "Sully, bring me the epinephrine from the drawer in the tall cabinet in the corner – hurry!" she exclaimed as the four adults cringed at the labored wheezing of the child in their care.

Each one knew seconds counted.

Michaela instructed Daniel to retrieve the portable oxygen tank from across the room as Sully sprinted to the corner and returned immediately with the epinephrine.

Acting quickly as the girl struggled to draw breath, Michaela administered the injection mid thigh, as Sully and Daniel readied the oxygen tank. Michaela gently held the plastic mask to the child's face, encouraging her to try to breathe in normally.

All four adults watched the child anxiously, but after five minutes, her breathing still seemed severely hampered, her anxious tears only compounding the problem.

"Is there anything else you can do?" Sully asked his physician wife worriedly as Catherine and Daniel stood by, Catherine holding the child's hand, as she lay prone on the table.

Checking how many minutes had elapsed, Michaela nodded, preparing and administering a second epinephrine injection, silently hoping she wouldn't have to resort to resuscitation measures.

"I can administer antihistamines and steroids as adjuncts if needed, if we don't begin to see marked improvement in the next fifteen minutes," she murmured quietly as she concentrated on the girl's breathing and pulse rates.

Sully dragged a tall stool over and coaxed his wife to ease down onto it, worried about her becoming strained from the position she had vigilantly maintained.

Finally after another ten minutes, they could tell the effects of the allergic reaction were beginning to reverse themselves, and the group could finally start to relax, each one speaking softly to the girl to help keep her calm.

During all this, though extremely worried about Julia, Catherine had surreptitiously watched Michaela work, grudgingly admiring the pregnant doctor's professionalism and calm. Sully's wife, despite being in obvious discomfort herself, had kept the rest of them calm with her easy demeanor and assurance.

The blonde noticed, too, how well Michaela and Sully worked together as a team, communicating perfectly with very few words exchanged – and she couldn't help but see how completely confident Sully was of his physician wife's expertise.

Twenty minutes later, Michaela removed the oxygen mask, smiling gently into the little girl's eyes as she was able to breathe in deeply, and graced them all with a beautiful smile.

"There, I think the crisis has definitely passed..." Michaela began, pausing as Red and Mike McCall burst in the door, having just come back from the ride.

"Julia!" the both exclaimed, rushing to the table where their daughter and sister now lay comfortably.

"What happened? They told me she was having trouble breathing..." Red began, cradling his daughter in his arms.

"She was stung by a wasp and sustained a severe allergic reaction," Michaela explained. "I would recommend, especially due to the severity of the episode, that she carry epinephrine with her at all times from now on. I'll give you an epi pen to take with you," she added gently. The worried father nodded as he cradled his precious daughter.

"Catherine carried her to the barn..." Daniel began, filling the anxious father in on the details as Red turned to the blonde.

"Miss Catherine saved me, Daddy. She got me to Dr. Mike," the little girl added.

"Thank you," Red whispered, his eyes meeting Catherine's.

"It was no trouble...I was glad I was there..." Catherine answered softly, drawing near to the father and daughter as Julia reached out and grasped her hand. "And I'm thankful that...Dr. Mike...was close by," she added by way of acknowledgment to the 'other woman', sending a small smile Michaela's way.

Michaela returned the smile, and then met the twinkling eyes of her husband as he murmured, "Amen to that."

OOOOOOOOO

That evening as the group prepared to go back to the campsite for their last night, Catherine stood near the barn watching Sully and Michaela standing together on their porch as he bid her a temporary goodbye. Though Catherine couldn't hear their words, she could tell they appeared to be teasing each other about some rings the doctor was wearing on a ribbon around her neck.

The lovely blonde sighed softly as she watched their interactions, and how easy and loving they were with one another. At that moment, she was finally able to admit to herself what she had known all along – nothing and no one could come between those two. Sully was not, and never would be, the man for her - she had been a fool to even entertain such a notion. He hadn't given her much more than a glance all week, but dashed at the drop of a hat to his wife's side.

Just then, Sarah drew near to her best friend, observing the direction of her gaze and the almost melancholy expression on her face.

"They're quite a pair, aren't they..." she stated more than asked.

Catherine merely nodded, dropping her eyes.

"_You_ could have that kind of love, you know...if you would only open your eyes," Sarah murmured, laying a gentle hand on her friend's arm. "There's a man waiting patiently in the wings for you to turn and notice him..."

Catherine turned and met her friend's eyes, whispering, "...Red?"

Sarah smiled and nodded. "Mmm hmm. He told Daniel he's crazy for you..."

Turning slowly, Catherine gazed at the man, really seeing him with her heart and not just her eyes. She saw him as a handsome, kind, interested...and _available_ man...a loving father to his children and a true friend to those who knew him.

All of a sudden, things became clear in Catherine's mind as she tried to imagine herself with Red...as a wife to him...a mother figure to Mike and Julia, with whom she had already formed an attachment.

He glanced her way then, and as their eyes met from opposite sides of the paddock, they both smiled softly in recognition of what was quite possibly to come.

OOOOOOOOO

As the family stood together on their porch the next day, waving as the last carload of campers pulled out and down their driveway, Michaela turned in Sully's arms with a sigh, needing to return to the sanctuary of the house to sit and rest.

"Well, it was an interesting week...but I must admit, I'm glad it's over..." she murmured softly.

"I had fun!" Brian piped up, receiving a ruffling of his hair from his older brother. "Fun's all you think about – it was a lot of work," he groused playfully.

"I had fun, too," Colleen contributed. "Hey Dad, do you think Miss Catherine and Mr. Red will get married?"

Sully smiled and met his wife's amused eyes at the perception of children. "I wouldn't be a bit surprised, sweetheart. I wouldn't be a bit surprised."

Suddenly Michaela, who had been surreptitiously scratching her huge belly, let out an aggravated growl.

"Oh, this _itching_ is driving me crazy!"

Sully chuckled, albeit sympathetically. "Come on, let's go upstairs and I'll rub some of that Calamine lotion on ya," he encouraged softly. Michaela nodded in acquiescence, passing by the smiling faces of her family on the way. Elizabeth especially, as she remembered her own bouts with the dreaded last few days' itching.

They mounted the stairs, taking one step at a time, as Michaela was completely unable to see anything at ground level. Sighing dramatically, she paused to lean back against her husband's chest as he hovered on the step directly below.

"Oh Sully! I feel as if I'm going to...absolutely pop, like a balloon!" she groused, only half jokingly.

He smiled, and then laughed softly. "Our son was concerned about that, too," he murmured.

Glancing over her shoulder with a wry grin, she asked, "...Brian?"

Sully nodded. "Mmm hmm."

"Out of the mouths of babes," she chuckled softly.

Helping her up several more stairs, she paused to rest again, as Sully asked teasingly, "Do you wish now that we hadn't tried so hard to make a baby?"

Immediately smiling, she turned enough to meet his eyes, raising a hand to caress his face.

"No, of course not." Then grinning playfully, she added, "I just wish it wasn't taking ten years."

Laughing out loud, Sully shook his head and helped her continue on up the steps toward their sanctuary where he could tend to her, doing his best to help ease her through her last few days as an expectant mother.


	32. Is She Or Isn't She?

**CHAPTER 32 – IS SHE OR ISN'T SHE...?**

"Oh Snowbird, I just wish it were over!" Michaela groaned, glancing at her friend on the webcam as she squirmed on the chair trying to find a comfortable position, the baby pressing down low and heavy in her pelvis. Each day brought a new level of discomfort.

"Oh, I _know_. This last week has been very difficult for me, also," her friend agreed, doing some squirming of her own. "I have been experiencing some twinges and pains, and some false contractions for several days, but so far nothing promising. I do not believe this little boy wants to come out and meet the world. Yesterday, though, I felt wonderful. More energy than I've had in weeks – I even rearranged the kitchen cabinets. Although Cloud Dancing fussed at me for climbing up the three foot step ladder," she added with a grin.

Michaela smiled in accordance, picturing the fierce reaction Sully would have if she tried something like that.

Just then, glancing toward the doorway as Hannah asked if she needed anything, Michaela shook her head no and mouthed, "Thank you," as the girl grinned and continued on down the hall.

Everyone in the household had been put on 'Delivery Alert' as Michaela began counting down the days. Privately, Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Sully all agreed she wasn't going to go much longer. Sully was especially concerned, as he _knew_ how uncomfortable Michaela had become, his Couvade Syndrome having kicked into high gear again. He had even called the doctor to ask if he would consider inducing her, as the worried husband couldn't stand the thought of his precious heartsong being so intolerably miserable.

Dr. Bernard had negated that idea, however, as Michaela was not yet 'overdue', nor was she having any symptoms that were dangerous in any way to herself or to the baby. The obstetrician maintained his directive to 'let nature take its course,' with the CNM's at the birthing center siding with the doctor.

"I'm so excited that you are having a boy. I know Cloud Dancing wants a son – although I'm sure he will be satisfied either way," Michaela added assuredly, remembering their Indian friend's proud excitement as he spoke of the impending birth on their last visit.

Snowbird smiled dreamily as she pictured her gentle husband holding their soon-to-be newborn up in the air with one hand as he gave him his Cheyenne name. Tears threatened as she imagined the scene – one she had dreamed of witnessing for over ten years.

"Yes, he will be satisfied either way, I am sure...but I do hope the ultrasound was correct."

Pausing as her face formed a grimace, Snowbird murmured, "Excuse me for a moment, Michaela..." as she carefully rose from her chair. Michaela replied to the affirmative as she watched her friend waddle slowly out the doorway of the kitchen, where they had moved the computer after they transformed the office room into a nursery, knowing without a doubt her friend's destination – the restroom down the hall. Michaela took the opportunity to visit her own 'little room at the end of the hall' while she waited for her friend.

Resuming her seat after a few minutes, Michaela could hear her friend returning, but when Snowbird reached the doorway, she paused and suddenly bent over, clutching her stomach with a loud groan.

"Snowbird!" Michaela called through the computer camera. "Snowbird, are you alright? Is it a contraction?" She watched her pregnant friend for an anxious fifteen seconds before the other woman was able to straighten up and answer her, awkwardly making her way over to the chair at the computer.

"Oh my...that was a strong one..." the Cheyenne woman mumbled, still trying to catch her breath. "But...it is over now..." she added with relief.

"You should probably alert Cloud Dancing...where is he, is he home?" Michaela asked, realizing she had not seen him since they had been talking.

"No, he had to go into the office a little while ago, something to do with the phone system, but he said he would not be gone long. He will be back any time, I am sure," Snowbird replied with ease, sitting up a little straighter and taking in a deep breath. "Now...what were we talking about?" she asked brightly.

Michaela stared at her best friend through the camera lens, before shaking her head with a smile and taking a relaxing breath. "Um...we were discussing girl babies versus boy babies," she quipped.

"Ah yes," Snowbird agreed with a smile.

For the next fifteen minutes, the two friends chatted about what ever came to mind, laughing enjoyably as they always did in each other's company. Then suddenly, in mid sentence, Snowbird sat forward a little, both hands immediately gripping her belly.

"Aaahhhh," she groaned, clamping her teeth together against the sudden cramping pain.

"Snowbird!" Michaela frowned, watching in concern as her best friend weathered another pain.

"I think you're in labor, Snowbird. Please, try to call Cloud Dancing..."

The other woman shook her head, still grimacing. "My phone...left it...in the bedroom..."

"I'll call him," Michaela immediately countered, taking her own phone from her pocket and dialing Cloud Dancing's number. It rang several times, and then his message came on and she listened to it until the beep, saying quickly, "Cloud Dancing, this is Michaela. I think Snowbird has gone into labor. Please go home to her!"

After disconnecting, she watched as Snowbird was finally able to sit up again. "I reached his voice mail. He should be home soon, I'm sure," she offered, trying to provide some sort of comfort.

"Thank you. I will go get my phone now..." the expectant mother mumbled, making as if to rise from her chair. But pausing, her eyes grew large as she looked down at the floor, and then slowly raised her eyes to her friend's concerned image on the computer screen. "Michaela...I think my water just broke..."

OOOOOOOO

Matthew stood next to the Escalade with his hands jammed in his pockets, his shoulders hunched self-consciously, while his father stood with feet spread, arms across his chest, staring critically at the damaged right front fender.

"It's just a small dent..." Matthew began, feeling downright stupid for not only damaging his parents' vehicle, but for the _way_ it happened.

"True...it could be a lot worse," Sully agreed, wondering whether he should tackle the repair on his own or just bite the bullet and take it to Robert E. "How'd you _do_ this anyway?"

Matthew looked away, his face and neck taking on a subtle shade of crimson.

Sully glanced over at him, his mouth forming a half grin as things became clear.

"C'mon...out with it. What were you and Ingrid doin'?" he asked astutely.

"Nothin'," Matthew returned, clearing his throat. "I was just...backin' out of a parkin' space at the mall and she leaned over and kissed me. I guess I...kinda got distracted for a minute and...clipped a light pole," he mumbled, eyes on the ground. After a moment, he took a chance and raised his eyes to his father's, relieved to see mirth in their blue depths.

As their eyes met, Sully chuckled and shook his head. "Aw Matthew, I've done worse, believe me."

"Yeah?" Matthew asked, immediately intrigued.

"Yeah. With your mom, matter of fact," Sully confided with a sheepish grin.

"What?" Matthew probed, adding when Sully stalled, "C'mon Dad, tell..."

"Well..." Sully hedged, looking around as if he thought someone else might be listening. "I think it was...our third date. I took her to a movie in the pickup, and we had ta park out in the lower forty at the cinemas. When we came out after the movie, I, uh..." he paused again, chuckling sheepishly, "I looked over at her and put the truck in gear, I _thought_, and just couldn't resist leanin' over to give her a smooch...which went on and on... We didn't realize we were rollin' backward down a hill till we hit a big stump out in the field. I'd put the dang thing in reverse, instead 'a drive!"

"Oh man!" Matthew guffawed, wishing he could have seen his father make such a blunder.

"You never wondered where that dent in the bumper came from?" Sully admitted, shaking his head at his own stupidity.

Matthew laughed out loud, thoroughly enjoying his dad's little confession, making the young man feel all the more bonded with this man who was his father – knowing he understood the little 'hiccups' of love.

"I made your mom swear she'd never tell a soul," Sully added with a laugh. "She giggled about it the rest of the evenin' – and the next night too," he chuckled, remembering those early, head-in-the-clouds days of their courtship.

"Now _you_ mum's the word," Sully ordered with a mock serious look, pointing a finger at his son.

"I will if you keep shut about _mine_," his son cheekily challenged, a twinkle in his eye.

Sully laughed out loud and clasped his arm around his son.

"You got a deal. Now, let's get this thing over to Robert E.'s," he added as Matthew nodded agreement. "Uh, stick your head in the door and tell 'em where we're goin'."

OOOOOOO

"Oh Snowbird, I know you want to wait for him, but you should at least call the Health Center, perhaps ask for their ambulance. You're liable to have that baby at home by yourself if you just sit there waiting!"Michaela fussed at her friend, leaning toward the computer monitor and unconsciously pressing the fingers of one hand to the screen. Inside, she was feeling almost panicked for her friend, but was striving to remain calm for Snowbird's sake.

Snowbird had transferred herself to the couch in the living room, but left the webcam on and aimed in that direction so she could still communicate with Michaela. For forty-five minutes, the worried doctor had watched from afar as her best friend weathered more contractions. It was definitely not Braxton Hicks.

"I do not understand why Cloud Dancing has not come home," Snowbird moaned toward the image of her friend's concerned face. "Are you sure you dialed the right number?" she asked for the third time, her face contorting again as another contraction hit.

"Yes, it is his voice on the message, and he says he is Cloud Dancing, husband of Snowbird," Michaela assured once again. "Oh honey..." she paused, waiting for Snowbird to be able to talk.

"Give me the number of one of your neighbors..._please_...let me get someone nearby to help you," Michaela begged her friend.

By this time, everyone in the house in Colorado had been alerted to the situation, and Elizabeth, Rebecca, the girls, and Brian were hovering around the monitor, watching their friend moan and feeling absolutely useless.

"Snowbird, please, we want to help..." Elizabeth added her voice to the pleas.

As her latest contraction eased, Snowbird took a deep cleansing breath, nodding toward her friends' images on the screen in the kitchen.

She had held out as long as she could, trying to wait for her husband, but she really did not relish the thought of waiting longer and taking a chance on the baby coming.

"All right. The ambulance number is 409-477-6775."

Michaela jotted the number down and quickly dialed it, relating the information to the man who answered. He assured her the ambulance would be at Snowbird's home in minutes.

Thanking him, Michaela hung up and informed her friend, each of the family chiming in with encouraging words.

True to his word, within five minutes, two uniformed men were knocking and entering Snowbird's living room, managing to help her waddle to the waiting ambulance before another contraction hit. The concerned group in Colorado Springs watched until, at Snowbird's request, one of the men signed off the webcam connection.

Michaela then dialed Cloud Dancing's number once more and left a message concerning the latest update on his wife, with no clue yet on the missing man's whereabouts.

OOOOOOO

"Nah, that won't take much to fix," Robert E. commented as he examined the small dent in the Escalade's fender. "How'd you do that, Sully?" he added out of curiosity.

Father and son exchanged glances, with Sully raising his eyebrows at the young man.

"Uhh, I did it, Robert E.," Matthew confessed, meeting the other man's eyes.

"_You_ did it, huh?" the man reiterated, glancing at the two and seeing something private pass between the older and younger man. "Aww, somethin's up. What was ya doin', Matthew?" When the two exchanged another look, he chuckled knowingly. "This wouldn't have anything' to do with a certain little _blonde_, would it?"

At Matthew's heightened color, their friend chuckled again. "Welcome to the club, Matthew."

"The club?"

"Yep. The 'Dings of Distraction' club." At Matthew's bemused look, and Sully's grin, he continued, "See, it's like this. A sure way to tell if a man is in love or not is – if he's drivin' and the girl with him can't get his attention, he don't care much about her. BUT, if he's drivin' and he can't keep his mind – or his hands - off the girl in the car with him...yep - he's in deep."

"You in the club, Robert E.?" Sully asked with a knowing grin.

Robert E. blew out a chuckle and wiped his face on a shop rag. "_In_ it – heck, I _started_ it."

Glancing at each other, Sully and Matthew exchanged grins, as Sully leaned toward his long time friend. "Spill it."

"You remember my ol' man's Chrysler – his pride and joy?" the mechanic asked his friend.

"Yeah, the one with the candy apple red paint job?"

"That's the one. Well, I'd been beggin' him to let me take Grace out in it, and finally for our Junior Prom, he said yes. That night, we left the prom a little early and I drove up to the Garden of the Gods, you know...to _show her the sights_..." he paused, with a waggle of his eyebrows. All three males snickered.

"You know Lookout Point, where you can see all of Cathedral Valley?"

Sully nodded. He knew it well. Clearing his throat and glancing at Matthew, he murmured, "Sure. Make-out Point."

"Yeah. Well, I stopped at the top and just kept my foot on the brake, but like a dumb a..," he paused, clearing his throat, "I didn't put it in park. She was goin' on and on about how beautiful it was up there and before I knew it, we was kissin' to beat the band," he admitted with a shake of his head.

"Oh man, I know what's comin'," Sully laughed, shaking his head at his friend.

Robert E. nodded, eyebrows raised, and went on, "All of a sudden, she yells, 'Robert E.!' I look up, and we was goin' over the edge. Man, I stomped on that brake so hard, and the car just chunked itself over the edge – and got stuck."

"Oh man!" Matthew guffawed.

"Dang if I didn't have to hoof it down the hill and call a hook to get us outta there. Grace was so mad, she wouldn't talk ta me for a week," Robert E. remembered with a snicker.

"Did it hurt the car much?" Matthew asked, delighted to know he wasn't the only 'fool in love'.

"Not at first. I don't think Pop woulda known anythin' about it, but the guy drivin' that tow truck was a jerk, and he let the chains scratch both rear fenders. Oh man, my ol' man was hot," he added with a laugh. "It took me months of workin' every odd job I could find ta pay him back for the repairs to the paint job – and he never let me drive his 'baby' again!"

As the men chortled and teased, Sully and Matthew each relating their own 'dings of distraction' escapades, Sully's cell phone rang.

Answering it with a chuckle, Sully's face immediately turned serious.

"Be right there."

Pressing the red disconnect button, he blurted, "Michaela's havin' contractions!"

OOOOOOOO

Sully burst into the house, and stopped in his tracks, his son nearly barreling into his back, as he saw his wife walking – or waddling – quite briskly around the living room. The rest of the family members sat perched on various pieces furniture, watching her intently.

"Sweetheart?" he rasped breathlessly, moving to her side and grasping her hand to halt her. "Shouldn't you be sittin' down...or layin' down...or somethin'?"

"No, I'm fine. I thought at first it was true contractions, but now I'm sure it was only Braxton Hicks," she murmured, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry Rebecca called you home..."

"No, don't worry about that..." he shook his head, lifting a hand to smooth a lock of her hair behind her ear. "You still havin' em?"

"No, they've subsided, as soon as I began to walk around," she answered gratefully, making her way to the couch to rest her aching feet. "I think they were most likely brought on by all of the excitement earlier."

Before Sully could ask about that, Elizabeth spoke up. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I've had quite enough excitement for today," she jokingly fussed, settling herself into a chair. "First all of the commotion about Snowbird..."

"Snowbird?" Sully interrupted, having been out of the loop and away from the house during the tension.

"She's in labor," Michaela supplied with a grin. "We were Skyping when her water broke. The trouble is, no one seems to know Cloud Dancing's whereabouts and she was alone in the house..."

"What?" Sully breathed, immediately taking out his phone and pressing his brother's speed button. After a few rings, the automatic message came on.

"Hey bro...where' you at? Call me," he stated into the phone when the beep sounded. "She don't know where he is?" he asked, slightly concerned.

"No, he had gone to the office for something regarding the phone system there, but he hasn't answered his cell at all. We've been trying for two hours."

"Dang, that ain't like him..." Sully mused, unable to imagine what could be wrong.

"And then when we finally got Snowbird situated, Michaela began to have contractions," Rebecca supplied with a grin toward her sister.

"Mom...what is _Brack...Brack whatever _anyway?" Colleen asked, Hannah nodding in agreement of the question.

"Yeah...I've always wondered why they call it that..." Sully added as he lowered down next to his wife, and helped her raise her feet up on a footstool.

"Well..._Braxton Hicks_ are what you might call _training contractions_ before birth," she explained to the assembled group. "They are named after John Braxton Hicks, the English doctor who first described them...in, I believe, 1872."

"What do they feel like? Heck, how do ya tell the difference from 'real contractions'?" Sully asked, having never thought to ask about it before.

Michaela smiled and leaned her head toward his for a tiny snuggle. "Um...they feel like a tightening sensation that starts high and spreads downward...not painful, just uncomfortable. But how to tell the difference mainly is that changing position or activity will make them stop, unlike real contractions, which only get stronger."

"So...how long's it been since you had one?" Sully asked softly, gently laying a loving hand on her belly, and noticing how firm it felt under his hand, like a tightly stretched drum. Privately, he wondered just how big the baby inside her would turn out to be, as his wife's abdomen had grown unfeasibly large.

Glancing at the clock, Michaela smiled as she relaxed a little more. "Twenty minutes. I think they're over for now."

For the next several hours, however, the household would go on alert, as Michaela would double over with a contraction, only to be let down as they realized it was the aggravating 'Braxton Hicks' once again.

Finally, feeling frustrated and exasperated, Michaela ordered her hovering, fretting husband to 'Please go do something' and get out of her hair, so reluctantly – he did.

Deciding to take Matthew and Brian and go do 'man stuff', but with strict orders for her to call his cell phone with any changes, the three set off to deliver the Escalade to Robert E. for repair and then to the campsite to disassemble the teepees.

Heading over to the abandoned campground an hour later, Sully handed his cell phone to Brian in the back seat, with instructions to call home and check in.

The boy did so, speaking with Elizabeth, his Grandma assuring him that everything was fine. As he rang off, Sully told the boy to keep the phone, appointing him the official 'phone watcher' while he and Matthew worked. Grinning with pleasure at the important responsibility, Brian slid the phone into the pocket of his trousers.

However, as they pulled up to the campsite several minutes later, and Brian hopped out of the backdoor and slammed it shut, he had no idea that the slick, smooth faced phone had slipped out and landed on the seat. With the windows up the well-made truck's doors sealed tight, forming a very nearly soundproof room.

OOOOOOOO

Michaela was pacing again, or rather her version of the action, which was more like a hurried waddle, her hands busy caressing her taught belly.

"Aggghh!" she fussed in exasperation. She was tired of the false contractions. Tired of Mr. _Braxton Hicks_. Tired of _waiting _for the other shoe to drop.

"Michaela, honey...come sit down and have something to eat," Rebecca urged, watching her sister continue to pace. Glancing at Elizabeth and the two girls, they each shrugged helplessly.

"I'm not hungry," Michaela fumed with aggravation. "I think I'll go upstairs and try to lie down for awhile," she suddenly announced, determinedly making her way over to and up the stairs, pushing away the hands that tried to help.

Two hours passed, during which time, Michaela's contractions subtly slipped from Braxton Hicks into the real thing. She, however, was concentrating so hard on getting through them; she neglected to feel the slight difference with the first real one. As they continued, growing closer together, the thought crossed her mind that her time may have, at last, arrived, but after so many instances of 'crying wolf', she was quite averse to alerting anyone just yet.

A quiet knock came on the door, and Rebecca stuck her head in, smiling as her sister glanced her way.

"Can I get you anything?"

Sighing loudly, Michaela nodded and began to sit up. "Would you help me to the bathroom?"

"Of course," her sister immediately responded, stepping up to take Michaela's hands. Just as Michaela stood upright and took a step, her eyes grew large and she stopped in her tracks, trying to look down at a large puddle forming between her feet.

"Oh Becca – my water!"

"But...you haven't had any real contractions yet, have you?" At her sister's guilty look, she exclaimed, "Why didn't you call us?"

"I...I thought..." Michaela began, uncomfortably plucking at her soaked clothing as she mumbled a muffled, "Oh dear!"

"Honey, it's all right," Rebecca soothed, adding, "Stand still a minute, I'll go get a towel."

In a few short minutes, Rebecca had assisted her sister with changing her underwear and helping her slip into a loose fitting 'mumu', and wiped up the mess, calling for their mother as Michaela went into her first firm contraction.

"Mother!" she called down the stairs as she gripped her sister's hand. "Call Sully – Michaela's truly in labor this time!"

OOOOOOOO

"Oh why isn't he _answering_?" Michaela wailed, gripping her stomach as another contraction hit.

She had called Sully's cell phone a dozen times, leaving frantic exclamations each time, after waiting through his sweet message, _"You've reached Sully – husband to Michaela, father to Matthew, Colleen, Hannah & Brian. I can't answer the phone right now, but if you leave a message, I'll get back to ya...and if it's you, babe...I love ya more than the law should allow." _

She couldn't understand why he didn't feel her needing him. _What happened to our connection?_

"I don't know, but I don't think we should wait any longer, Michaela..." Rebecca fretted, wringing her hands as she watched her sister gritting her teeth. In all of the excitement and angst, none of the women had the presence of mind to call Matthew's phone.

"The audacity of the man! He knew Michaela was very close to going into labor when he left the house..." Elizabeth griped, standing beside her very pregnant daughter as Colleen and Hannah exchanged worried looks, hovering close by with their arms around each other.

"Mom, are you having the baby _now?" _Hannah asked, worried for her father, who seemed to be missing, as well as her mother, who was in obvious distress.

Grimacing through the rest of the contraction, Michaela finally sat back breathlessly, striving to send a reassuring smile to her two worried daughters.

"It will still be a while yet..."

"Michaela, we need to make a decision. One of us will drive you to the Birthing center, but I don't think we should wait..." Rebecca murmured, trying to reason with her.

"No..." Michaela argued, shaking her head firmly. "Sully will come. I will NOT have this baby without him!" she declared irrationally, as if she could control the situation. For the next ten minutes, her mother and sister tried their best to talk some sense into the suddenly extremely stubborn Michaela.

"Michaela, _really_ – you must be sensible about this..." Elizabeth began.

"But I want _Sully_," her largely pregnant, miserable daughter squeaked softly, tears filling her two-toned eyes. She had dreamed of this moment for months – the moment when her labor would start and her sweet husband would usher her to the car, hovering protectively, holding her hand as he drove, coaching her to breathe through the contraction, telling her how much he loved her, being his sweet, loving, supportive self...

"Well, _Michaela Anne_, your husband isn't here at the moment. Period. And you must face that reality. Now, where did you put your bag?" her mother asked pointedly, not intending to take 'no' for an answer from her stubborn daughter.

Swallowing and sniffling self-pityingly, Michaela stared up into the four concerned faces surrounding her. Knowing another contraction would soon begin, and conceding defeat, she whispered with a small shrug, "In our room."

"I'll get it!" Colleen exclaimed, dashing to the steps.

"All right, let's get you up and out the door," Rebecca offered cheerfully, relieved to finally be making headway, as she and their mother took hold of Michaela's hands, gently pulling her to her feet.

The three moved to the front door, as Colleen came running with the overnight bag that Michaela had packed with things she thought she might need for the short time she would be at the birthing center.

Opening the front door and moving slowly out onto the porch, the three stopped in their tracks.

"...But...where is the Escalade?" Elizabeth sputtered in amazement; the vehicle's spot next to the porch conspicuously empty. "Oh no, I just remembered...Sully and Matthew took it to your friend Robert..."

"Oh...oh...oh..." Michaela groaned just then, leaning over and gripping her abdomen as another contraction hit.

"Oh mother, we must _do_ something! Call an ambulance!" Rebecca fretted worriedly.

"No," Michaela ground out between clenched teeth. "I don't...want to go... to the Center...in an ambulance..."

"But, we have no choice..."

"What about the Bumblebee?" Hannah exclaimed helpfully.

"The _what_?" Elizabeth reacted, staring at her granddaughter as if she'd lost her mind.

"The _Bumblebee_ – Dad's El Camino!"

"Mmmmm," Michaela moaned as the cramping intensified. She vaguely wondered if she could even still _fit_ in the cab of the El Camino.

"I'll get the keys!" Colleen offered helpfully, stepping quickly to the rack near the phone and snatching them up. "Here," she exclaimed, thrusting the set into Elizabeth's hand.

"All right. I'll drive, and you can be in the back with Michaela," Elizabeth directed toward her eldest daughter.

"No! There is no back seat...it's made like a pickup truck..." Hannah explained almost apologetically.

"Only one of you can go, cause I don't think both of you will fit in it with Mom..." Colleen began, but paused, belatedly realizing she was saying her mother was huge.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Elizabeth groused, the situation becoming intolerable as they waited for Michaela's contraction to abate.

"I'll pull it out of the garage," Rebecca offered, turning to hurry down the steps.

"Can you drive a four-speed?" Hannah belatedly remembered.

Rebecca's eyes grew as large as saucers as she turned to regard the girl, then met her mother's eyes.

"Don't look at ME, I've never driven one of those contraptions in my life!" the older woman exclaimed.

"Ewwwwww!" Michaela groaned as the contraction hit its peak.

"But...but I haven't driven one since...since Bob and I were dating! I nearly tore the transmission out of his Mustang when he tried to teach me!" Rebecca nearly squealed.

"Well, there's no help for it, you'll just have to do the best you can!" her mother barked, none of the women even thinking about the fact that they could have called upon Robert E. or Loren to help them, they were so consumed with the tension of the moment.

"Oh dear..." Becca moaned, hurrying down the stairs and to the garage. After several tries, and thankful that the vehicle was backed in and not pulled in, she managed to get it to roll out of the building as Elizabeth helped a moaning Michaela down the steps and to the passenger door.

The girls and Elizabeth helped Michaela wedge herself, slightly sideways, into the cab and carefully shut the door, while Rebecca quickly stashed her sister's purse and bag in the bed of the vehicle.

Dashing back to the driver's seat, Rebecca glanced one more time at her sister and mother, the latter of who bade them a safe trip and motioned for them to depart.

The older sister swallowed in dread and tried valiantly to remember the instructions her husband had given her so many years ago. Pressing the clutch in, she put the car in first and tried to give it the right amount of gas while letting off the clutch. The motor died instantly.

"Oh Becca!" Michaela moaned, rolling her eyes.

"I'm _sorry_!" Rebecca whined, trying again. After four tries, the gears grinding ominously, she finally managed to get the car turned down the driveway and on its way, though lurching pathetically. The harder she tried, the more it lurched. Gripping the dashboard and groaning with each lurch, the thought crossed Michaela's mind that if the situation weren't so serious, it would be funny.

"I'm going to have this baby in the _car_ if you keep this up!" she squealed after a particularly hard lurch.

"I can't _help_ it!" her sister squeaked in return.

Clamping her lips tightly, Michaela tried not to giggle at the absurdity of it all, imagining they probably resembled one of the characters in the 'Cars' movie.

Elizabeth and the girls stood together by the garage, hoping and praying for the best, the girls clamping their hands on their mouths at the terrible job their aunt was doing as she tried to drive their father's pride and joy.

As Rebecca slowed to a stop at the clinic, she looked both ways, put it in gear again...and killed the motor, the vehicle drifting out onto Hanover.

"Agggh!" she yelled, slamming her hands on the steering wheel in frustration just as a car came the opposite direction, blowing its horn, the driver rudely gesturing out his window and yelling something about 'stupid women drivers.'

"Oh goodness!" Rebecca moaned, covering her face with her hands for a moment, and then flapping them like a flustered bird, before shakily trying again. After two tries, during which she was constantly checking for cars in the rearview mirror, she managed to get the bumblebee started, and then buzzing along down Hanover.

After about a mile, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, I think I've gotten the hang of it," she sighed. "Now, we're not taking the expressway in this thing, so how do we get to the Birthing center from here?" she asked her sister, having to wait several moments for Michaela to get through another contraction.

"We'll laugh about this later, right," Michaela whined, feeling exorbitantly sorry for herself that her lovely fairytale dream of the 'big day' had turned into a comedic nightmare.

"I'm sure we will – hold the thought," her sister replied with a tiny smile as she concentrated on her driving.

Just as Michaela drew in a breath and tried to formulate directions, the car sputtered roughly, jerking her head very near the dashboard as she sat perched on the edge of the seat.

"What _now_?" she burst out in exasperation. _What else could go wrong? I hate this car!_

"I don't know!" Rebecca squealed, pumping the gas and trying to keep the car moving. After a few more sputters, it died completely, cruising to an easy halt. A car came up behind the brightly painted vehicle, the teenage driver veering around them with a long blast of the horn.

"You could show a little respect, young man!" Rebecca yelled out her window in a surprisingly good imitation of the Boston Powerhouse as she tried repeatedly to restart the engine, but it was no good. It was then that she glanced at the gauges on the dashboard.

"Oh Michaela...you're not going to believe this..."

"What?" the thoroughly exasperated mother-to-be squeaked.

"We're out of fuel!"

"Oh Becca! Why is this _happening_?" Michaela whined, breaking down into tears of sheer frustration. Leaning her head back against the headrest, she moaned forlornly, "Sullyyyyyy, we neeeed you! _I_ need you," she added in a whisper.

"Now, now, it will be alright...perhaps I can walk to...um..." Rebecca began, glancing around at their surroundings and realizing they were on the loneliest stretch of Hanover Road. There wasn't a house or building in sight in any direction.

"And leave me _here_?" Michaela squeaked, more tears falling.

"Sshh, honey. Everything's all right. I promise I'll get you to the Birthing center," her sister smoothed; worried that Michaela would become too upset. "I'll call 911..." she began, only to pause as she realized a vehicle had pulled up behind the lifeless bumblebee.

Glancing in the rearview, Rebecca's eyes widened when she saw an old, worn out Ford pickup. The driver, a scruffy, shabbily dressed, dirty looking man, turned the motor off and climbed out of the cab, heading their way.

"Oh Father in Heaven, please protect us..." she prayed fearfully, casting her eyes around for something she could use to defend herself and her nearly helpless sister.

OOOOOOO

Sully stood upright from crouching on the ground, tying the last of the large teepees' canvas walls into a neat bundle. Groaning slightly under his breath, he crossed his arms over his stomach, beginning to be a trifle concerned.

"You all right, Dad?" Matthew asked, coming back from loading some of the lodge poles into the bed of the pickup.

"I don't feel so good," Sully admitted softly, trying to discern his symptoms.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know...maybe I ate somethin' that didn't agree with me...my stomach's been kinda hurtin' for awhile." Bending over, his hands on his knees, the man took several deep breaths, trying to feel better and convince the uncomfortable pressure to subside.

"You wanna sit down or somethin'?" Matthew asked, beginning to become a little concerned. If something his father had eaten was bad, he might get sick himself, since he ate the same thing.

"I don't know...gimme a minute..." Sully murmured.

Remembering his father had experienced 'sympathetic pregnancy' symptoms early on, Matthew quipped, "Maybe you're tapping in to Mom eating too much again."

After a few moments, Sully's eyes widened as his son's words registered and he realized what he was feeling seemed just like how Michaela had described 'contractions', and then he felt other emotions, whispering, "Michaela..."

"Huh?" Matthew asked, confused.

"Your Mom...she's scared...I can feel it..." Sully began, pausing as he turned his head to look for Brian.

"Brian! C'mere son!"

The boy dutifully came trotting to his father, rubbing his hands on his pants from where he had been making 'roads' in the dirt. "Yeah Dad?"

"Has my phone rung?" Sully asked, although he knew he would have heard it if it had.

"No, not once," the boy answered, reaching to his pocket to retrieve it...his eyes growing large with alarm as he realized it wasn't there. "It's gone!" he yelled immediately.

"Gone!" Sully hollered, striding toward his son, moaning as he stretched the muscles of his abdomen. When he reached the boy, he turned him around, searching every pocket.

"Where is it? Did you drop it somewhere?" the worried husband asked, striving not to lose his temper with the boy.

"I dunno!" Brian squeaked.

"Brian!" Matthew fussed loudly, aggravated at his sometimes goofy little brother.

"Show me where you were playin'," Sully ordered. Brian immediately retraced his steps, showing his father and brother every place he had played since they had been at the campsite. Matthew and Sully searched the ground every step of the way – but no phone.

"Matthew, call the house, make sure everything's okay," Sully instructed.

The young man nodded, taking out his phone and calling. Elizabeth answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Grandma, it's Matthew..." he began.

"Matthew! Where in the world are you? Is your father with you?" she immediately bombarded him.

"Yeah...he's right here..." he answered, immediately shoving the phone toward his father.

"Lizabeth?" Sully asked, holding the phone away from his ear a bit as she started in on him.

"Sully! Where have you been? We called and called! Michaela's in labor!"

"Oh my God, I'll be right there," he murmured, disconnecting before she could say anything else. Without another word, the three jumped into the truck, Sully turning the key, the motor roaring to life.

"Here it is!" Brian hollered, relieved to find his father's phone intact, lying safely on the seat where it had fallen. Picking it up, he sputtered, "There's fifteen messages on it!"

Sully rolled his eyes and shook his head, quickly turning the pickup around and spinning its tires in the dirt as he barreled toward home.

Several minutes later, they pulled up at the house, Sully jamming the truck into park and practically leaping from the cab, taking the steps of the porch two at a time while the boys quickly followed.

"Michaela!" he bellowed as he burst in the door.

"She's not here, Sully. Rebecca took her to the Birthing center," Elizabeth explained as she hurried down the stairs, the girls on her heels.

"Mom was cryin' when she left, Dad. She wanted you, real bad," Hannah informed her father, making him feel even worse. He pressed his lips together in a guilt-ridden grimace, one hand rifling through his hair.

"How'd they get there?" Sully asked as he turned to leave, confused as to why they hadn't tried harder to get in touch with him.

"The Bumblebee, Dad. You shoulda seen Aunt Rebecca trying to drive it – she kept killing the motor, and I thought she was gonna strip the gears," Hannah supplied again with a grin.

With a groan, Sully sped out the door, jumping down the steps and into the cab of his truck, peeling out and down the gravel drive as the others gathered on the porch to watch.

"Lord, let me get there in time, _please_...don't let her have the baby without me," he whispered heavenward. "Michaela, sweetheart, I'm comin'...hang on, mé'oo'o," he murmured, trying to send his thoughts and love to his heartsong, but each time his heart tried to connect to hers, all he felt were angst and worry.

He hadn't been on the road long when he spotted the unmistakable yellow of his car about a mile ahead.

"There they are!" he murmured excitedly. Hurrying even faster, his brow furrowed in concern as he neared, seeing the El Camino appeared to be abandoned.

He pulled up behind it, getting out and going to the cab. Frantically turning in all directions, he didn't see anything resembling two women. _Where could they have gone? Why did they leave the car?_

Opening the passenger door, his eyes closed for a moment as he caught a whiff of the familiar aroma of Michaela's perfume, still lingering in the interior.

"Where are ya, sweetheart?" he murmured worriedly, taking out his cell phone and quickly dialing her number.


	33. A Child Is Born

**AN: Okay folks, the moment you've waited for - the birth! :) Thanks Kiera and all of the unsigned reviewers for your kind comments. Here we go!  
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**CHAPTER 33 – A CHILD IS BORN**

Michaela lay on an examining table, staring at the ceiling as the midwife performed her preliminary check. Suddenly, her cell phone began to play a clip of _I Just Call You Mine,_ and she gasped, gazing imploringly at her sister.

"It's Sully! Oh, please answer it, Becca!" she pleaded.

Rebecca obligingly grabbed Michaela's purse and retrieved the phone.

"Hello?" she asked after pressing the green answer button on the shiny flat screen.

"Bec, thank God! It's Sully – is 'Chaela alright?" he asked, wasting no time and already heading back toward his truck.

"Yes, she's fine, Sully...though missing _you_ terribly," she added, glancing at her sister with a grin and witnessing the imploring expression in Michaela's two-toned eyes.

"Where _are_ ya?"

"We're at the Birthing Center. We just arrived..." she paused, waiting as the midwife related her findings before continuing. "She's at six centimeters. Ms. Stacy said to get yourself over here, pronto," she added with a twinkle.

"I'm on my way – tell 'Chaela I'll be there in a flash."

Rebecca chuckled softly. "All right. Be careful – she needs you here in one piece."

"Is he coming?" Michaela bleated, feeling as if it had been weeks since she had seen her husband. She had never needed him as much as she did now – their baby was coming! She needed to feel his arms around her. She needed his strength and his gentle reassurance.

"He's on his way," Rebecca assured her sister with a reassuring smile.

Relaxing a bit, Michaela submitted to the rest of the midwife's examination, then allowed the two women to assist her to stand and waddle down the hall from the exam room to the birthing suite, to settle in for the long haul.

oo

Sully, having covered the thirty miles in a mere twenty five minutes, thankful that no marked or unmarked police cars were around, wheeled into the center's parking lot and sprinted to the front doors, a trifle sad that he wasn't escorting his beautiful wife inside as he had imagined he would do for weeks.

Bursting in and through the connecting door to the main office reception, he saw Stacy, the owner and Head CNM, closing a door to one of the suites and heading his way. Smiling, she motioned him forward.

"She'll be glad to see _you_," she quipped as he hurried to her side. "Go on in, her sister is with her."

Nodding and quietly opening the door, he saw his precious wife bending over the bed, weathering the last of a contraction as Rebecca stood by, rubbing her back and speaking softly in encouragement. Her sister turned her head at the sound of the door, and flashed Sully a relieved smile. He returned the smile, but didn't move as he waited, almost as if he thought he needed to be welcomed inside by his laboring wife - he felt so guilty for his absence.

After a few moments, Michaela's consciousness emerged from the full concentration of weathering the contraction and she felt his presence, turning her head and meeting his eyes.

"Sully..." she squeaked softly, beginning to stand up straight. He sailed across the room to her and folded her in his arms, cradling her head into the curve of his neck with one large hand.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry I wasn't there when the contractions started..." he began softly, his arms circled around her, eyes shut tightly. "I wanted ta be the one to drive ya here..."

Rebecca slipped out of the room with an understanding smile, and quietly shut the door to allow them a private reunion.

"No, I'm sorry...for allowing my frustration to get the better of me...I'm sorry I told you to go find something to do..." she countered breathlessly, luxuriating in his nearness as she nuzzled her cheek to his, gripping him as if she would never let him go.

"I'm sorry I didn't get your messages – Brian left my cell in the truck..." he whispered, breathing in her familiar, precious scent with a sigh.

"I was so worried...I couldn't imagine why you weren't answering. I began to be frightened that something had happened to you," she murmured, breathing in a truly relaxed breath as she felt her husband's strong arms holding her firmly, slowly swaying back and forth. "We didn't even think to call Matthew's cell," she added with a self-deprecating huff.

After a full two minutes spent soaking in each other's presence, they pulled back a little to meet one another's eyes, still touching.

Sully smiled softly and lovingly, his eyes searching hers, striving to pour his love and strength into her consciousness. She returned the gaze, feeling such fierce love for him, tears of adoration and wonder began to pool in the sage and russet depths.

"It's happening...it's actually happening, Sully," she whispered, catching her lip as she gazed up into his eyes, which were sparkling in the light of a nearby lamp. "Can you believe it? Our baby...he's almost here..."

He grinned at her use of the masculine pronoun, leaning to press a soft kiss to her lips as he whispered, "Mmm hmm...or _she_..."

"Yes...our little Katie...or our little RJ," she acquiesced with her customary half grin.

Pulling back a little more and tilting his head back to gaze down at her, Sully caressed her arms, asking softly, "So...how far apart are the contractions now?"

She smiled again, lowering her gaze lovingly to her belly as one hand slipped down to caress it.

"About fifteen minutes. And my waters have already broken..." she added, glancing back up at him.

His eyes widened in concern. "Don't that usually mean the baby's almost here?"

"Not necessarily. It could be hours yet," she added with a small smile.

Her words putting him somewhat at ease, he glanced around, spotting her bag. "Should we unpack or anything...?"

Grinning at him, as he was acting like they had moved into a hotel, she rubbed his arms lovingly, murmuring, "Perhaps we can put the CD in the player..."

Flashing her a smile and leaning in for a quick smooch, he mumbled, "Comin' right up," as he stepped out of her arms and completed the task. They spent the next few minutes getting Michaela changed into a comfortable, loose fitting, shortie gown before perusing the suite and opening the door to the room's tiny balcony.

The surroundings of the Center were lovely and afforded a nice view of Pike's Peak, and they stood together just inside, in each other's arms, both breathing in the fresh, warm spring air.

Michaela sighed comfortably, leaning her head back to grace him with a small smile, which turned into a grimace as another cramping contraction began. Gripping his arms, her mouth formed an O as she groaned.

"It's starting up again..." she mumbled, trying to remember to breathe.

Now that her precious soul mate, her other half, was once again at her side, Michaela surrendered to the unspoken fears she had kept hidden from her mother and sister since the real pains had begun.

Whimpering as the squeezing pain steadily increased to the point that it took her breath away, she squeaked, "Oh Sully, I don't think I can do this!"

He hovered near, his hands reflexively caressing her belly, her arms, her head, as he tried to figure out the best way to support her, to give her _his_ strength.

"Yes you can – you're doin' it right now," he assured feelingly, caressing her face as she grimaced and squealed. She clamped her teeth together, opening her eyes and staring into his as he spoke encouragement, striving to soak up his confidence and faith in her ability to handle what they both knew was coming.

"Pretty soon, the baby will be here, and your ten years of bein' pregnant will be over," he added with a sweet grin. She chuckled a bit, albeit through gasps, and tried to smile, but pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes as she tossed her head back, weathering the pain.

OOOOOOO

"Yes Mother, everything is fine," Rebecca assured the worried older woman.

"And you made it all the way there alright?"

"Well...yes, with a little help..." Rebecca returned, smiling as she remembered their 'Knight in dusty armor'. "We'll tell you all about that later."

Confused, but shrugging, Elizabeth asked, "And Sully is with her?"

"Yes, he just arrived. Michaela was so relieved when he came in. You know...those two have something so special together..." Rebecca mused, thinking of the many things her sister had shared with her, and the things she had observed between Michaela and her husband.

"Well, no more than you and Robert, I'm sure," Elizabeth returned offhandedly.

Rebecca smiled softly, thinking of her husband. "Oh, Bob and I love each other very much, that's true. But...Michaela and Sully have an extra element in their relationship. It's hard to explain or pinpoint...or name... an all-consuming _need_ for one another...a 'connection' that transcends logic. They truly do seem as if they are missing a large part of themselves when they are apart..."

"Well, perhaps. But more likely it is the fact that they are still practically newlyweds – not even married a year yet. The bloom will eventually fade."

Rebecca laughed and shook her head. "Oh Mother, no one could ever accuse you of being a starry-eyed romantic!"

OOOOOOOOO

"Oh Sully, I'm so glad you're here with me," Michaela murmured, her forehead pressed against the curve of her husband's neck as she rested between contractions.

"There's no place I'd rather be," he whispered, one hand gently cupping her head as his other tenderly rubbed her back. His fingers sliding under her hair, he felt the knot on the ribbon around her neck and he smiled softly, remembering the moment when he had removed his rings from her swollen fingers and threaded them onto the shiny gold strip, slipping it over her head and making her 'promise' not to take it off.

"Hey...ya want me to help ya braid your hair, so it won't get in your way later?" he murmured softly against her cheek as he ran his hand over the silky mass.

"Yes, that's a good idea," she mumbled against his chest, pulling herself back from him as he turned her around to begin the task.

"Ya got somethin' to tie it with?"

"In my bag, I think..."

A few minutes later, Michaela held the ends of her loosely braided locks together as Sully searched the bag, and then her purse, before finding a hair tie, with which he fastened the silky strands.

"There. Feel better?" he asked softly, his eyes smiling down at her lovingly.

"Yes, for the moment," she quipped with a raised eyebrow, raising a hand to caress his face.

Soon, another contraction hit, and Michaela braced her hands against the bed again, as standing seemed to hurt a bit less than lying down. It was also a practice that the midwives encouraged, as it helped the baby move lower in the birth canal. Sully hovered near, worrying some when it seemed to last longer and hurt more, her squeals and whimpers a little louder.

When it was finally over, Michaela panted briskly, slowly standing straight as her hands automatically came up to caress her belly.

"Oh...that...that was a strong one," she gulped dryly.

When she managed to open her eyes and look at her husband, she noticed the fleeting look of worry clouding his handsome features, before he quickly masked it and gave her an encouraging smile.

Suddenly feeling protective of his sensibilities, she raised a hand to caress his cheek again. "Everything is fine...everything that is happening to me is completely normal. I'm fine...the baby is fine. Remember...women have been having babies since the beginning of time..."

He smiled lovingly and turned his head to press his lips to her palm. "I know...I just hate it when you're in pain...and knowin' _I_ caused it," he added with a somewhat naughty grin.

Michaela chuckled a little, leaning to touch her lips to his. "I seem to remember being the _initiator_ of the mind-blowing session that got me this way," she reminded him.

"Mmm, _indeed_," he whispered, using one of her favorite words as she grinned at him happily.

"Here, ya wanna sit for a few minutes? Rest your feet?" he asked softly, watching as she nodded. He gripped her arms gently and helped her lower herself to the bed.

Just then, his cell phone began to play a distinctive, a 30-second clip of "Walela", a Native American song. It was his signal for a call from his brother.

"It's Cloud Dancin'," he murmured, immediately taking the phone out of the clip on his belt.

"Hey bro...you okay?"

"Haho, my brother," Cloud Dancing's distinctive deep voice answered, bringing a smile to Sully's face. "I am all right. Forgive me for worrying you."

"Where _were_ ya? Michaela said Snowbird was beside herself wonderin' why you weren't answerin' your phone..."

"I was unconscious," came the deadpanned reply.

"_What_? What happened?" Sully breathed, locking eyes with Michaela as she mouthed, "What did he say?" He held up a finger as he listened.

"I was foolish," the Indian replied, going on to explain that first he had left his cell phone on his desk in his office while he had been helping one of his co-workers attempt to fix the phone lines at the Reservation's headquarters. Then, he had attempted to hold a heavy metal door open above his head, which slipped out of his grasp and knocked him down, rendering him unconscious for about thirty minutes.

"But, you're okay?"

"Yes, I am fine. My co-worker drove me to the Health Center and the doctor checked me. It was then that the ambulance brought Snowbird in."

"Oh man!" Sully exclaimed, thinking it had been quite a day for mishaps. "Hey by the way, we're at the Birthing Center – Michaela's in labor, too," he informed his brother. He could hear the smile in the other man's voice as the quiet Cheyenne murmured, "Our sons will be born on the same day...that is wonderful, my brother."

After the brothers shared a few more minutes regarding their mishaps of the day, each of their mates began to groan once again with the pain of trying to bring their babies into the world, so the brothers rang off to comfort and support the women who held their hearts in the palms of their hands.

OOOOOOOO

Michaela waddled tiredly across the floor, trying to 'pace' through a contraction. It seemed to her that they had become never-ending – as if the state of 'almost' giving birth had become permanent, and she would be stuck in the vortex of pain/brief respite for the rest of her life.

Rebecca, as well as their midwife, Stacy, had been in and out of the room for several hours as Michaela's labor advanced – Rebecca keeping the rest of the family abreast of the situation with periodic updates via cell phone. Dr. Bernard had been alerted to Michaela being in labor, and had come by to check on her progress, giving the midwife the thumb's up that all was good to go. The baby, of course, was in control of the timetable.

At one point, the contractions had slowed down to practically nil, but Sully had coaxed Michaela to walk with him up and down the hall outside their suite. Several rounds of that served to kick-start the process again.

Now as his precious wife slowly paced, Sully supported her, stopping with her now and then as the pain and pressure increased and all she could do was stand still and moan softly, hanging in his arms, using all her energy to concentrate on getting through it.

The late afternoon sun glowed through the curtains of their suite, painting the soothing blue of the room a warmer shade. It made the whole room seem hot...almost too hot for Michaela.

"Oh Sully...I feel as if I'm suffocating," she griped, wiping the hair from her forehead with the back of one hand. "It's so hot in here..."

"You want some ice chips?" he offered softly, purposely keeping his voice low, as he had found out the hard way that Michaela's nerves were raw and loud noises tended to bother her at this point – unless _she_ was the one making them. At times during a contraction, she didn't want him to say or do anything – sometimes not even touch her. He'd found that out the hard way too – when she shoved him away during a particularly fierce one, only to reach for him and pull him close as soon as it abated.

Breathing in deeply as the contraction eased, Michaela nodded, reaching for the cup her husband handed to her.

"Hey, slow..." he cautioned as she tipped the cup up, intending to swallow a large amount of the cooling chips. She nodded, merely taking a mouthful. The effect was immediate relief and she drew in another deep breath.

After a few moments, Michaela tiredly leaned her head against her husband's chest, moaning softly, "This is taking forever...why haven't I dilated more?" Though as a doctor, she knew the answer – that's just the way it goes sometimes.

"I don't know, sweetheart. Some babies just take longer, they say...especially first babies," he murmured, laying his cheek gently against her head. "You wanna sit? Or lay down?"

"Perhaps for a few moments..." she acquiesced, her swollen legs and feet finding it hard to continuously support her weight.

He helped her onto the bed and knelt beside it, holding her hand with one of his and gently stroking the bangs of her hair off her forehead.

"You're amazing...ya know that?" he whispered softly, gazing into her tired eyes.

"I don't feel very amazing," she countered with a half grin.

"Well, ya are...doin' all this work ta bring our baby into the world...sufferin' all this pain and discomfort. I wish I could do it for ya..." he added softly, smiling dreamily as she grinned at him. In his eyes, she wasn't swollen, tired, and misshapen – he saw her with his heart, as the most beautiful woman in the world. _His_ woman. His _lady_.

"You wouldn't be able to stand the pain. A migraine brings you to your knees," she gently reminded him.

"Yeah, true," he acquiesced with a nod. "Which makes ya all the more amazin'," he countered.

She smiled as she lay still on the soft bed, vaguely listening to the soothing music playing on the CD player across the room and staring into her husband's potently blue eyes – marveling at their perfect, thick black eyelashes.

"I wish _my_ eyelashes were like yours...I would never need mascara," she whispered dreamily, raising a hand to his face and softly running a thumb over the subject of her compliment. He just snickered softly and shook his head, rolling his eyes and playfully 'blinking' his lashes, trying to make her laugh.

She chuckled a bit, but then suddenly, waxed serious again as the pendulum of her emotions swung the other direction. "Sully...hold me..." she whimpered as her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm here," he immediately answered, kicking off his shoes and climbing onto the bed beside her, wearing only his jeans. He had taken his tee shirt off earlier when Michaela had pulled and ripped a hole in it during a particularly fierce contraction.

He lay down beside her quickly, wrapping his arms securely around her back.

Shuddering with an overload of emotion, Michaela held on to her husband as if she would never let him go, tears slipping from her eyes and disappearing into her hair near her temples.

"Shhhh, sweetheart, it's okay. Remember, think only good thoughts, not bad..." Sully whispered.

After several moments, she pulled back a little, sniffling, and gazing at him dreamily.

Reaching up to caress his face, she murmured, "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," he answered, his eyes tender.

Glancing down at his chest, she smiled softly. "I've always loved your chest...so manly...just the right amount of curls...I love to run my fingers through them..." she whispered, doing so. He smiled softly at her compliment.

Suddenly, her eyes grew large, her mouth forming an O again, as an extra strong contraction hit out of the blue.

"Aaahhhhhh!" she yelled. Reflexively, her hands squeezed shut as she fought the pain, both of them inadvertently gripping large handfuls of Sully's chest hair.

"Mmm, Michaela! Ow, ow, ow...sweetheart, aahhhhh!" Sully yelled, trying not to be loud, though he felt as if his wife were plucking all the hair from his chest - slowly. His hands covered hers as he tried to pry them loose.

Tears of pain filled his eyes as she slowly, but unknowingly, tortured him, with her shrieking all the while, "Aaahhhhhh! Aaahhhhh! Aaaahhhh! Eeeeeeeee!" her voice rising in pitch as the pain increased – his voice rising as well.

Stacy and Rebecca came into the room, having been alerted by two sets of screams. They paused inside the door, trying not to laugh at the comedic scene being played out on the bed.

"Oh my...he may have to shave his chest after this," Stacy murmured privately to Rebecca, who nodded with a chuckle.

The two women had hit it off immediately. Rebecca admired the nurse/midwife very much, and the strides her center had made in women's obstetric care, even entertaining thoughts of going back to school to learn the trade.

"Poor Sully...Michaela has an iron grip – I know – she once got mad at me and pulled my hair," Rebecca joked softly.

Stacy stifled a chuckle behind one hand, turning to go back out as she murmured, "I think I'll bring him some ice."

Rebecca moved on into the room. Nearing the couple, she nodded as Sully looked at her in agony, his eyes begging for help.

"Michaela..." she tried, amidst two very long squeals of, "Aaaahhhhhh!" from her sister.

Finally, mercifully, the powerful contraction began to abate, Michaela coming slowly out of the mind-numbing fog of pain and belatedly realized she had tortured her poor husband.

Swallowing dryly, panting as the pain began to lessen, she squeaked, "Oh Sully, sweetheart...I'm sorry!" as she released her grip.

"That's okay," he whispered through clenched teeth as he rolled to a sitting position, looking down at the fiery red splotches on his chest. It was taking every ounce of control he had not to shout in pain.

"I'm sorry...I just...get caught up and...lose control," Michaela apologized, reaching to try and do something to alleviate the pain she had caused her husband. However, her touch only worsened the problem.

Standing, quite embarrassed in front of Rebecca, he murmured, "I'll...be right back," proceeding to walk, albeit stiffly, out the door of the suite, closing it behind him.

The two sisters watched him go, and then met each other's eyes, clamping their hands on their mouths and striving desperately not to burst out in giggles.

OOOOOOO

Two hours rolled by, during which Michaela's contractions escalated and intensified.

"I feel like I'm splitting apart!" she screeched at one point as she crouched down and held on to the edge of the bed, legs spread wide, trying to get the baby to descend lower in the birth canal as the midwife had instructed. Rebecca and Sully tried their best to soothe her, though neither had much success.

Shaking her head miserably, she grasped on to Sully's hand in desperation.

"I DON'T THINK I CAN DO THIS ANYMORE!" she wailed, jaw extended as she fought against the pain.

"Yes, you can. You've _got_ to..." Sully encouraged, helplessly meeting Rebecca's gaze. His eyes filled as his wife's agony tore at his heart. _Why did I get her pregnant? What have I done to her? _He mused irrationally.

Gasping against the cutting pain, Michaela took a deep breath and yelled at the top of her voice, "SULLYYYYY! Oh oh ohhhhh," she bawled, nearly at the end of her rope, the pain ten times greater than she had imagined and feared.

A moan of sympathetic frustration escaped as Sully threw his head back and pressed his lips together, wanting more than anything to _do_ something for his precious heartsong, but there was nothing he could do. _You did this to her!_ His conscience stabbed at him again.

"Oh honey, hold on, you'll make it..." Rebecca tried, going to her knees to be face to face with her sister.

Michaela grasped onto Rebecca's hand, her eyes imploring. "Reebee...it _hurts so bad_..." she squeaked, unconsciously reverting to the pet name she had called her older sister when she was a child and Rebecca a teenager.

Rebecca's eyes filled at the memories the name resurrected and she pressed her lips together, praying for something, anything...

Just then, Stacy opened the door to the suite and entered, hurrying to Michaela's side.

"Oh dear...I thought you had already gotten in the water! Honey...we need to get you in there, so that your muscles can relax..."

"I...I can't..." Michaela sputtered, trying to indicate that she literally couldn't move during one of the strong contractions. Finally after about thirty seconds of the torture, the pain and pressure began to subside, allowing the laboring mother to be able to take a full breath.

Taking advantage of the lull, Stacy took charge, motioning to Sully and Rebecca to help. Together they lifted Michaela to a standing position and moved her over to the birthing tub. Reaching down and feeling the water to make sure it was still plenty warm, Stacy instructed Sully to help his wife step over the edge and into the water.

Able to maneuver some, Michaela eased down into the warm liquid, Sully's hands supporting her under her arms.

"Ohhhh my goodness...this feels wonderful..." she sighed gratefully, drawing in slow, deep breaths. "Mmmmmm," she sighed again, settling her back against the side, eyes closed in pleasure.

After a few moments, she slowly opened her eyes, managing a smile for the midwife.

"Thank you..." she whispered tiredly. Stacy smiled back understandingly, patting her knee in answer.

"I wish we woulda put you in here sooner," Sully murmured, kneeling behind her head and lovingly massaging her shoulders. "Why did we wait, again?" he asked softly, glancing at Rebecca, who shook her head.

"Because I had stopped dilating," Michaela whispered tiredly, eyes closed again as she literally reveled in the relaxing feel of the warm water.

"Speaking of that, I need to check you," Stacy murmured, reaching down into the water and performing the exam.

"You're at about eight to nine centimeters. It shouldn't be long now," she related softly, not wishing to disturb Michaela's short respite. "Rest while you can," she added gently.

Turning to Rebecca, she murmured softly, "I'm going to get her some more ice chips to suck on. If another contraction happens while I'm gone, do your best to get her to breathe through it, but until then, help her relax those muscles all she can."

Rebecca nodded, positioning herself on her knees next to Michaela, but taking care not to touch her so as not to disturb her tranquility.

Michaela breathed in deeply through her nose, letting the air out through her mouth slowly as she felt the muscles in her abdomen and back relax a little more.

"I could stay like this forever," she purred, as her two attendants exchanged amused and relieved glances.

Sully leaned to press his lips to the top of her head as he continued his gentle massage.

"You just rest now," he whispered. "We're right here...and the contractions'll be easier in here," he assured, hoping he was right.

After five lovely minutes, the pressure started again. Michaela groaned, "Here it comes again..." as she geared up for the fight.

"Relax, Michaela...flow with it, don't fight it..._breathe_," Rebecca urged as Michaela leaned forward, unconsciously pushing.

"Breathe honey, breathe...breathe...breathe," her sister encouraged.

Michaela nodded quickly; forcing herself to let out a breath instead of holding it, then drawing in another.

"Mmmmmm" she moaned as the pressure increased.

Sully put his head down, hands spread on his wife's back as she leaned forward, his eyes closed, striving to impart _his strength_ to her to get through the tsunami of pain as he prayed for the water to do its promised job.

Finally, she drew in a breath and began to sit back. "Oh yes...yes it was much easier in the water. Oh, thank God," she panted, swallowing dryly.

Stacy returned then with the ice chips, pleased with the good report from her patient's concerned support team. Michaela gratefully accepted the chips, allowing the cold bits to circulate in her mouth as she concentrated on allowing her muscles to relax.

This went on for several more contractions, Michaela a lot more able to handle them in the water, much to her worried husband's relief.

Then finally, dilated the full ten centimeters, Stacy began to coach Michaela to push, knowing the baby was nearly at the point of crowning.

Pushing as hard as she could, Michaela squealed, "My back! My back!" as shards of pain seemed to stab straight through. "Sully!" she squeaked.

Instantly, Sully stood and stripped to his boxers, uncaring of the others in the room, only concerned with somehow being able to help his stricken wife.

Slipping into the tub behind her, he settled her between his legs, pressing one fist and then two against her back at her direction, striving to provide counter pressure. It did the trick and Michaela finished the contraction with much less pain, finally collapsing back against her husband's chest as she gasped for breath.

"Almost there, I think I can see the head," Stacy encouraged, peering down into the water.

Michaela nodded, panting, "Oh, oh, oh," as she relaxed against her husband. He clasped wet hands around her middle, caressing her belly and pressing soft kisses to her cheek as he whispered sweet words of encouragement and love.

Though he had sat nervously in the wings eleven years before, he couldn't comprehend why any woman would willingly go through such torture – although he knew from experience that children are such a wonderful blessing. He was in awe that his Michaela was willing to go through this for him. All he wanted at that moment, however, was for his precious wife's suffering to come to an end.

Closing his eyes, he prayed for God to help the rest of the birth go smoothly and quickly, for Michaela's sake as well as the baby's.

A few short minutes elapsed and the pressure came back with a vengeance.

Ready, however, her husband's physical presence with her in the tub helping tremendously, Michaela crunched forward, hands gripping behind her knees, as she pushed with all her might.

"Aaaaahhhhhhh!" she bellowed, her voice hoarse from hours of shrieks and squeals.

"Push, Michaela. Push, push, push!" Stacy encouraged, her hand low in the water between Michaela's thighs as she monitored her progress. "It's crowning! The head is crowning!" she informed excitedly. No matter how many times she assisted with births, it never failed to amaze and exhilarate her, the miracle of perpetuating life.

But the contraction slowed and ended. Michaela fell back into Sully's warm wet arms, nearly exhausted.

"Oh God, it hurts," she gasped. "Oh Sully...it's burning...it's _burning_..." she whimpered, the head of the baby stretching her beyond endurance.

"I know, sweetheart," he whispered, now praying for another contraction to start so the process could _finish._

"Almost there, honey. Just a few more pushes and your baby will be here," Rebecca encouraged, gently patting one of Michaela's thighs.

The pressure started again. "Oh God...oh God..." Michaela gasped, hardly able that time to rest or catch her breath at all.

"Now, push, Michaela...one long push and the head should come out..." Stacy encouraged as Sully helped her sit forward.

"Ewmmmmmmmmmmm" Michaela squawked, pushing with every ounce of strength in her body.

"The head's out!" Stacy announced, her hands busy keeping monitor on the situation. "One more push!"

Michaela's head fell back against Sully's shoulder as she gasped for breath.

"I can't...I can't," she panted, shaking her head, her strength nearly tapped out.

"Yes you can. You can do this. One more push and he'll be here. Come on, sweetheart," Sully whispered in her ear. Michaela sat with her eyes shut, cradled in his arms, drawing sustenance from her soul mate.

Rebecca watched the pair, touched and amazed at the depth of their love and connection, wonderfully glad that her sister had found a man that loved her so. Stacy also looked on, moved by their love and obvious devotion. For some reason, the word 'remarkable' came to her mind... Their love just seemed to spill over and caress the onlooker like a gentle breeze.

Then another contraction hit and Michaela moistened her lips, buoyed up by her husband's strength and care. She leaned forward, determined to bring their child into the world.

"Rebecca, move over behind Michaela and keep pressure on her back. Sully, you slide around to the front – that is, if you want to catch your baby," Stacy ordered with a grin.

Sully gave an answering grin and did as she said, sliding around and positioning himself where he could reach.

As Michaela started to groan louder, Stacy ordered, "Push, Michaela! Give me all you're got!"

Michaela took a deep breath and ground down as hard as she could, growling loudly. In a few moments, she felt a wonderful release as the baby's shoulders and the rest of its form slid from her body, directly into her anxious husband's waiting hands.

"You did it! The baby's out!" Sully called to his gasping wife, carefully bringing the somewhat wrinkled, pinkish gray, white-coated infant up out of the water. The baby looked so tiny in his large hands.

Immediately, Stacy and Rebecca began checking the infant over, Rebecca cooing at how adorable it was.

"Oh, oh, let me see," Michaela gasped, striving to see past the myriad of hands holding her newborn. "Boy or girl?" she begged through tears of joy and pain.

Lifting the umbilical chord out of the way so they could see, the three laughed with the delight one gets at the miracle of birth.

Sully clasped the baby to his chest for a moment, chuckling when it let out a frustrated squawk.

His vibrant blue eyes filled, and one tear spilled over and trickled down his cheek as he met his wife's gaze, whispering tearfully, "It's a girl. It's a girl."

"Oh Sully...our Katie," she murmured thickly, joy exploding in her heart and brain as she reached toward them, wanting nothing more than to hold their tiny bundle of anticipated joy – and her loving father.

OOOOOOO

"Oh, isn't she beautiful," Michaela breathed to her husband and sister, sitting propped against the headboard of the bed in the birthing suite, her newborn nestled in her arms.

"Exactly what I expected," Sully crooned, hovering close as he reclined by her side, his lips unconsciously kissing his wife's shoulder as he gazed at his new daughter.

Some time had passed since the birth, during which Sully had cut the cord under the midwife's direction. The baby had been cleaned, weighed, fed her first meal of colostrum from her mother's breast, diapered, and wrapped in a soft warm cotton receiving blanket.

Michaela had delivered the afterbirth while still in the tub, after which Sully assisted his exhausted, but exhilarated wife out and helped her dry off, and change into a clean nursing gown and other essentials.

"She's perfect in every way, Michaela," Rebecca murmured, relaxing in a chair next to the bed and leaning toward the new family, the fingers of one hand gently caressing her new niece's tiny bit of blond fuzz. "Though I dare say I expected more hair..."

"I had practically no heartburn during the pregnancy, which I'm told is a good indication of the amount of hair the baby will have," Michaela answered with a grin – a totally relaxed, thoroughly happy grin.

"Are ya satisfied...?" Sully asked teasingly, glancing up into her eyes.

"That's she a girl?" his wife astutely asked. He nodded.

"Yes, I'm more than satisfied...we'll have our boy next time," she added cheekily.

Sully's eyes immediately met hers. "After what you just went through...I can't believe you're already talkin' about doin' it again..."

"Yes, I _know_...but it's the strangest thing...as soon as I laid eyes on our precious, tiny beautiful little girl...thoughts of the pain immediately began to fade..."

"Happens every time," Rebecca softly cooed.

"So her name is Katie?" Stacy murmured as she approached the bed to check on her patients.

"Mmm hmm," Michaela mumbled, lifting the tiny bundle up to press a kiss to the sweet face. "Katherine Elizabeth Sully."

"That's a lovely name," Stacy grinned at the obviously doting father, who had hardly taken his eyes from his new daughter since the moment she had slipped into his hands.

"Yeah, it sure is..." he crooned, smiling as the baby's mouth formed an O as she yawned delicately.

"The name Elizabeth is very dear to us," Michaela murmured, glancing into Stacy's eyes as the midwife went about unobtrusively checking the condition of mother and baby.

"It is our mother's name..." Michaela continued, reaching for the hand of her grinning sister, "and more than that...my daughter Colleen, and Sully's daughter Hannah, both have that middle name. We couldn't let this precious addition be left out of the club," she added with a twinkle.

"That's a wonderful tradition. And I'm sure your mother is beside herself with pride," Stacy added softly.

"Oh, speaking of Mother...I need to give her an update. Be right back," Rebecca murmured.

Michaela nodded as her sister went to the door of the suite and followed Stacy out.

When they were alone, Michaela transferred her sleeping baby girl to her left shoulder, snuggling against her husband as they settled down in the bed where they would spend the night. Rebecca planned to call a cab for the ride back to the homestead.

Michaela sighed softly, her heart overflowing with joy.

"You okay? You hurtin'?" Sully asked lovingly, circling an arm around his wife and baby daughter, and drawing them close.

"I'm fine, just a little sore," she murmured softly. "Mostly just deliriously happy," she added with a sleepy grin.

Sully leaned to press his lips to the baby's head, and then to his wife's soft lips with a warm smile.

"That makes two of us," he whispered with a grin as he watched his wife and tiny daughter yawn delicately and close their eyes.

Subtly maneuvering Michaela, he let her settle down to sleep in the protective circle of his arms, the precious new life they had created together snuggled in the pocket of warmth between them.

Feeling more content than he had even anticipated, now that their bundle of joy had finally arrived, he smiled and sighed softly, his eyes drinking in the splendor of it all as he stared in awe at the delicate little being draped on her mother's gently moving chest.

Eyes shut, Katie stirred just then and stretched one hand toward him. On impulse, he slid his pinky into her tiny, delicate palm.

In the instant when her hand reflexively closed around his much larger finger, time lost all meaning as he wished he could pause this precious moment forever. Fierce love and protectiveness welled up instantly within him and he knew he would move heaven and earth to keep this little one safe and happy.

Between his tiny new daughter and her beautiful mother, he was helplessly, hopelessly, and forever smitten.


	34. A New Joy Realized

**CHAPTER 34 – A NEW JOY REALIZED**

Rebecca grinned as she placed the kitchen phone back on its cradle.

"Sully said they're on their way home. He was pleased that Robert E. brought the car seat out to them on his way in town," she added with a smile.

"Robert E. is a very considerate man. Michaela and Sully are lucky to have such friends," Elizabeth remarked as she sipped a cup of tea.

"Indeed they are."

"Did Sully say how long before they would get here?"

"About thirty minutes," Rebecca replied, then chuckled, "Or maybe longer, depending on how slow and careful he drives with his precious cargo in the back seat."

Elizabeth chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. The time she had spent staying with Michaela and her family on this trip had truly reiterated to Elizabeth quite a few things – including the fact that Sully was indeed extremely protective and careful when it came to his family, and especially Michaela. She had no doubt that he would redouble his guard when it came to the new baby. Never had she seen a man more devoted to the ones he loved. _Michaela did well when she fell in love with such a man. He's truly a treasure..._she mused thoughtfully, taking another sip of her tea.

Just then, the phone rang again and Rebecca answered it. For the next fifteen minutes, she fielded call after call of concerned friends enquiring about the couple and their new arrival, most saying they would mosey on over and greet them. True to their word, before long the yard began filling up with cars, and people wanting to wish them well, each one excited about the new addition to Sully's Junction.

Finally, Sully's blue pickup turned into the driveway from Hanover and carefully made its way down the drive, the protective husband and father keeping one eye on the rearview mirror and the passengers in the back.

As the pickup rolled to a stop, Elizabeth, the girls & Brian, Matthew & Ingrid and a host of others including the Reverend & Anna, and Loren & Dorothy gathered joyfully around the door, trying to peer in and catch a glimpse of the baby. Sully sprinted around and opened the back door as Michaela released the tight straps holding the baby in the elaborate car seat and carefully lifted her out.

Turning with her in her arms, the baby fussed a little, having been awakened from a pleasant nap. The crowd awed.

"Mornin' folks! We'd like you to meet Katherine Sully," Sully announced with obvious pride and pleasure, grinning from ear to ear as hands and arms began to point or reach forward for a peek.

"We call her Katie," Michaela added with a smile that lit her face with a glow rivaling the morning sun, as she gazed around at the myriad of people who had come to see them home. The thought occurred to her that she couldn't ask for kinder, more caring friends than the good people of Sully's Junction. She knew she wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world, ever again. _This must have been what Michaela felt each time she came back to her Colorado Springs. Now I have the best of both worlds...the old and the modern..._

"Oh Michaela," Elizabeth chuckled, reaching to touch the baby's hand. "She is beautiful."

Michaela looked down at the baby in her arms and smiled.

"You were right, Mother...there was no greater moment in my life," she murmured softly, her eyes meeting her mother's for a long, heartfelt, almost private moment. Elizabeth's eyes immediately filled and she pressed her lips together to maintain control as she nodded.

The baby seemed especially animated, waving her tiny arms, and even curling her mouth in an imitation of a smile, to the delight of everyone watching.

"Oh, she's just adorable, and so alert," Grace cooed, her beautiful white smile beaming brightly.

"She sure is," Robert E. agreed with a chuckle.

"But not much hair," Horace commented, then slipped his hand to cover his mouth as the others chuckled. "Sorry, Dr. Mike," he added as those around him chuckled.

"I think she looks like _you_, Dr. Mike," the Reverend commented, stretching to get a better look. Ingrid nodded in agreement as she perused the baby, flashing a shy smile at Matthew who hovered near her elbow.

"No, she looks like Sully," Dorothy corrected, grinning and cooing at the baby.

"Awwwww, she looks like neither one yet, she's just been born!" Loren groused, albeit playfully, as he tried to catch one of her waving hands.

"I think she'll have your smile, Michaela," Anna contributed softly, her eyes misty as she thought about the possibility of one day soon marrying her new love and having the privilege of giving birth once again. Sarah stood by, a small smile on her face as she took in the happy occurrence. It would have surprised her mother if she had known that Sarah was thinking the same thing – that it would be great to have a little brother or sister.

"She's just the cutest thing!" Myra exclaimed, gripping Horace's big hand tightly as the two stood gazing at the doc and Sully's new baby. "How much does she weigh?"

"She weighs nine pounds, two ounces, and she's twenty inches long," Michaela related proudly.

"Oh my gosh, a big baby! No wonder you were out to _here_!" Grace guffawed, extending her arms as far out in front of herself as she could reach. The others laughed as Michaela nodded in firm agreement, thankfully placing a hand on her now much flatter stomach to show the contrast.

The men began to reach to shake Sully's hand, offering congratulations and good wishes, which he smilingly accepted. Elizabeth too, and then she swept him into her arms for a hug – her frustration with her son-in-law from the day before now totally forgotten.

Just then, everyone glanced down the drive to see an old Ford pickup approaching.

"Oh good! I wanted to thank him again..." Michaela murmured, turning to face the newcomer.

"Hey Dr. Mike! Hey Sully! Aww, is this your new youngun?" Harv Miller asked as he approached after parking the vehicle, Ellen, Jared, and the girls with him.

"Yep. This is Katherine Sully. Katie for short," Sully introduced, smiling at the baby and Michaela proudly, and then turning toward the man.

"Harv, I can't thank you enough for what ya did yesterday," Sully stated with feeling, his hand extended toward the other man. "We got our wires crossed here at home and it means the world ta me that you were there for my wife and baby, and my sister-in-law, when I couldn't be."

"Oh Harv, I was so frightened when the car ran out of gas – and so very relieved when you pulled up behind us. Thank you," Michaela added, leaning up to wrap an arm around the big man's neck and press a kiss to his cheek. "And I apologize that I was quite testy during the ride to the center," she added with an embarrassed grin.

"Aww Dr. Mike," Harv murmured as he returned the hug. "I could tell you were in a world of pain. I'm sorry I was so dirty, though – I'd been crawlin' around under my trailer all day tryin' to fix a leak – was headed to the hardware when I came across ya. I was just glad I was in the right place at the right time!"

"And I'm just glad I didn't find a weapon to use on you when you first approached the door," Rebecca joked.

The others chuckled and agreed as everyone began to talk and laugh about the now funny situation, Rebecca even admitting to and demonstrating her very jerky technique for driving a four speed.

At one point, Sully glanced around, realizing that Jake and Teresa were nowhere in sight. Enquiring, he was met with a chuckle from the Reverend.

"Jake told me that when Teresa heard Dr. Mike was in labor, she immediately started having pains. They're at Penrose Hospital right now. Matter of fact, the baby must have already been born, I haven't spoken to them since last night."

After several more minutes, the newborn began to get a little tired of being passed from one set of arms to another, and was finally passed back to the achingly empty arms of her mother.

The crowd of friends, sensing the family wished to get settled in, one by one began to bid farewell and go back to their homes and businesses, happy to have been able to share in a little of the Sully family's joy.

Loren and Dorothy stayed as the last of the guests bid their goodbyes and moseyed on, the family once again gathering close as Michaela put the baby up to her shoulder, caressing her back lovingly and pressing a kiss to the downy head. Sully hovered close with obvious enchantment.

"Did you really deliver the baby all by yourself?" Hannah asked her father, totally amazed as she tried to imagine such a scene.

Sully laughed and reached to draw his daughter against his side. "Don't forget, your mom was there, too. Not to mention Aunt Becca, and of course, our midwife, Stacy."

"Mom...did it _hurt _a lot?" Colleen asked her mother softly, cringing at the idea of enduring such a thing as birthing a baby.

Michaela met Rebecca's and then Sully's eyes, and smiled softly, hedging, "Mmm, just a little, though the warm water helped tremendously. But whatever pain I experienced disappeared the moment I saw this little one's face," she added as she pressed a soft kiss to her baby's velvety soft cheek.

Sully smiled lovingly, reaching over to give his new baby daughter a whisper soft caress. He just couldn't seem to get enough of her, still a bit in awe that she had actually arrived – and that his own hands had caught her as she entered the world.

"Welcome home, Katie," Michaela whispered, pressing another tiny kiss to her newborn's sweet face.

"Can I hold her?" Hannah asked excitedly.

"Certainly," Michaela immediately answered, carefully handing the precious package to her daughter.

Hannah took her baby sister in her arms, cooing softly as she looked into the sparkling eyes calmly returning her gaze, and the downy soft, blonde hair. "Hey Katie! I'm your sister, Hannah."

Brian, looking on with the others, asked tentatively, "Can I hold her, too?"

Hannah looked to her mom, who grinned happily and replied, "Of course."

After another moment, Hannah gave her sister a quick kiss and carefully placed her in their brother's arms.

Brian, being as careful as he knew how, grinned down at the tiny human in his arms. At only eight years old, he was still trying to fully grasp the concept of how babies are made, as he gently jostled her up and down, murmuring, "Hey...hey..."

The tiny little girl looked up at him in wonder, reaching toward his face with one chubby, miniature hand and he grinned happily, all reservations simply vanishing in the wind. With his baby sister in his arms, he felt suddenly all grown up and all traces of jealousy were forgotten. Somehow he knew she wasn't 'taking his place,' but that she would have her own place in the family.

Grinning down at her, he said, "I'm Brian..." then glancing up, he nodded with his head, adding, "That's Matthew."

Matthew grinned his half grin and stepped close, reaching out to caress the smooth, tiny cheek with the back of a finger. "We're your big brothers."

Then seeing the two furry members of the family standing to the side and gazing at the proceedings curiously, Brian took a couple of steps toward them, carefully leaning over so Katie could 'see' them, saying, "This is Wolf, and Keeso." The baby's eyes seemed to widen, so Brian hastily added, "Don't worry, they won't hurt ya – they're our friends."

The others shared amused glances, chuckling softly at the little boy's cuteness.

Taking a few more steps, with the girls at his elbows just as a precaution, though he didn't seem to notice, he nodded toward the house, telling his baby sister, "This is our house – where you're gonna live." Then turning around, he added, "And this is the barn, where we keep the horses."

Matthew sidled up to the group, grinning hugely. "Some day when you're big enough – I'll teach you to ride," he informed his tiny new sister. The others grinned and nodded as Matthew reached to take her in his arms.

"C'mon...we'll show you inside," he murmured, as everyone flocked around to escort the oldest and youngest Sullys inside the house.

The loving couple, however, turned toward each other for a quick moment of privacy before they joined the others.

Michaela looked up into her husband's handsome face as he gazed down at her, the morning sun creating a warm glow around his honey brown hair. The effect was mesmerizing, and she once again felt the immediate stirrings of attraction that had never loosened their grip since the first time she had laid eyes on him.

"Thank you, Sully...for giving me our little girl...and for being there with me...giving me your strength and courage," she murmured softly, her eyes overflowing with love. "I don't know how I could have done it without you."

He smiled softly, and shook his head, grimacing a bit as he remembered events from the previous day.

"I did a lot of prayin' yesterday," he admitted. "There were a few moments...I was never so scared or worried in all my life." Pausing a beat, he added, "Or so happy."

Michaela's eyes reacted at his words and then she smiled in pleasure, holding his gaze for several moments before they leaned together, their lips melting into each other's for a sweet, slow kiss. When they pulled back, the love flowing from their eyes seemed to warm the very air around them and they simultaneously sighed in sheer pleasure.

Joining the others in the house minutes later, the couple smiled softly at the sight of Colleen carrying Katie down the stairs, the others following.

Elizabeth turned to the parents with an indulgent smile. "They took her on a tour of the house."

Michaela chuckled softly, reaching for her baby as the sweet infant began to fuss a little, the first signs of needing to be fed.

Immediately, Michaela felt her body react as she took the baby in her arms, murmuring, "I think someone is starting to get hungry. I'll just go upstairs now and take care of that."

As she started toward the stairs, she threw Sully a look, which he immediately interpreted, murmuring, "I'll come with ya."

The others watched as the couple slowly ascended the stairs, Michaela careful of each step and even pausing half way due to soreness, but continued on out of sight.

With chuckles and grins, Dorothy, Elizabeth, and Rebecca set about making some lunch for the group.

OOOOOOOOO

Sully opened the door to their room, hovering close and anticipating his wife's needs as she set about providing their baby daughter's first 'normal' feeding.

Settling carefully onto the padded rocking chair in front of the fireplace, she gratefully accepted the soft towel Sully handed her as she sat back and unbuttoned her blouse, and the Velcro on her bra before gently maneuvering the baby into position.

Sully knelt next to the chair, watching as the miracle of human nurturing designed by God himself unfolded. He had missed out on sharing that with Abby and Hannah, as his former wife had quickly decided it was an unnecessary hardship for herself and transitioned their daughter over to bottled formula.

He had always been sure that Michaela would be a natural at breastfeeding, and she didn't disappoint him, handling the baby and coaxing her to begin taking milk as if she'd done it a hundred times before.

After an initial moment of difficulty, Katie latched on and began drinking hungrily, gazing up at her mother with pure contentment. Michaela gazed down at her and smiled as she remembered her sister's words.

"_Don't worry, Michaela. It's quite pleasant and relaxing...It's the most profound thing I've ever experienced in my life...the deep, gripping bond that I felt with each baby...the way they would lay in my arms and just look up at me, such pure love and trust in their little eyes..."_

_Oh, Rebecca...you were so right..._ Michaela mused silently.

Sully watched the scene in reverent awe, hovering close, unable to keep from softly touching his wife and his baby daughter, and wishing this moment could go on forever.

Michaela glanced at him and smiled softly, whispering, "This reminds me of what Michaela wrote about the first night at home with Sully and their Katie. Remember?"

Sully smiled and nodded. "Yeah," he whispered, as both their minds drifted back to words of the old journal they had read just a few nights before – one of several times Michaela had documented the details of her most memorable medical case – the birth of their daughter, each time telling the details in a little different way.

_**May 18, 1871**_

_**I never knew I could be so happy...so fulfilled and complete...as I feel right now.**_

_**I'm sitting reclined against the magnificent headboard my wonderful husband made for me, holding our precious newborn daughter in my arms as she sleeps. Sully is sleeping beside us, completely worn out from a very traumatic few days.**_

_**He's been through so much regarding our wonderful brother and friend, Cloud Dancing, not the least of which was finding out O'Conner had schemed behind Sully's back to have him transferred to the horrible East Fork Reservation. Sully was beside himself with anger and worry and went after them. A vicious fight ensued, during which Sergeant O'Conner actually attacked my husband and inflicted a deep slash to his shoulder with a knife. **_

_**Sully fell into a creek face down and O'Conner would have left him there. But Cloud Dancing saved him, and came after me in the middle of the night, as he was worried Sully would bleed to death. **_

_**I couldn't say no – I had been feeling for hours that Sully was in trouble. We rode in the wagon all night. Shortly after we found him, to our horror, Sergeant O'Conner and some of his men came upon us and brutally dragged Cloud Dancing away, leaving us there to fend for ourselves. I sutured the deep laceration on Sully's shoulder, and set and bandaged his ankle, which was broken in the fall. We finally made it back to the wagon together – and my water broke.**_

_**I've never been so frightened in my life, and neither, I'm sure, has my husband. If ever there was a time when he could have taken off by himself to 'run from reality', that would have been it, but of course, he wouldn't leave me. He'd been so frightened and worried about losing me, or the baby, the way he did Abigail and Hannah, and now he was faced with having to deliver our baby himself! Never have I loved him more, nor was more appreciative of the kind of man he is. I am a blessed woman.**_

_**My labor was excruciating – out in the wilderness, against the base of a large oak, dirt and leaves everywhere, and nothing with which to afford me any comfort – but Sully never left my side. He was my comfort. Even in his injured state, he hovered near, uncaring of his own physical needs, only doing everything he possibly could to help, soothe, and encourage me. **_

_**I know I'll never forget as long as I live the look in those azure blue eyes when I told him he'd have to cut the cord – and when I screamed at him to cut it because it was keeping the baby from coming, it was as if he felt every slice of the scissors in his own flesh.**_

_**And the look in his eyes when he caught our baby as she slid from my body...it warms me even now as I remember. His eyes filled with tears, which spilled down his cheeks as he choked out the words, "It's a girl." **_

_**Now sitting here, having just fed our tiny daughter while my husband watched in awed wonder, I'm thanking God for my wonderfully blessed life. What did I ever do to deserve such happiness? **_

_**Thank You, Dear Father. Please watch over and protect my darlings forever.**_

"Michaela...Sully...when you are finished, come to the girls' room - Cloud Dancing and Snowbird have something to show you," Rebecca called through the door.

Coming out of their reverie and grinning at each other in excited joy, Michaela moved a nearly sleeping Katie to her shoulder and straightened her clothing. Rising and moving across the hall to the girls' room, sure enough, they encountered a smiling and happy Cloud Dancing and Snowbird on the webcam, holding _their_ precious bundle.

"Haho my brother – and sister in law," Cloud Dancing greeted as he saw them approach.

"Haho brother. Congratulations," Sully returned, helping his wife to sit in the computer chair with the baby in her arms as the others gathered around.

"Congratulations to you, also. We are told you were blessed with a girl," Cloud Dancing added with a twinkle in his dark eyes.

"Yep. Here she is – Katherine Elizabeth Sully," he introduced the nearly sleeping baby as Michaela angled her toward the webcam.

Snowbird carefully turned their sleeping baby toward the camera as she grinned happily.

"Here is ours...our little _girl_," she added with a chuckle.

"But...the ultrasound!" Michaela laughed.

"Was in error, I am afraid. Thankfully, Cloud Dancing decorated her room with the colors of nature and not merely for a 'boy'," she joked with a loving glance at her husband, which he returned with a wiggle of his eyebrows as if he had planned it that way.

"We both had girls," Sully laughed, shaking his head. "And we were both so sure they would be boys. Oh man!"

"Indeed. But my wonderful wife assures me that the next one will be male," Cloud Dancing returned, flashing a grin and private 'look' at his wife, who merely grinned in return.

Sully laughed out loud with joy, crouching down next to his smiling wife, and caressing her hair back from her shoulder. "So said mine, too," he answered with a grin.

"So, what's your baby's name?" Rebecca asked as the family gathered near the computer screen, cooing at the beautiful baby girl and admiring the head of silky black hair and smooth, caramel skin.

Cloud Dancing glanced at his wife and she nodded with a smile. "We have decided to give her a play on both our names. She will be called, Eená tseho'soo'êstse."

Sully laughed and nodded, raising a hand to the camera to give his brother a 'high five', which he happily returned.

"What does it mean?" Michaela asked, thoroughly intrigued at her husband's reaction.

"It means, 'Snow Dancing', for she is a part of both of us," Snowbird answered, leaning to give her baby's cheek a gentle kiss as her husband nodded and reached to caress the soft, silky hair.

The Sully extended family erupted in happy chatter, thoroughly loving the name. When they were quiet again, Cloud Dancing cleared his throat and addressed his brother, quite seriously.

"Sully...Michaela...we have a request," he began. "As you know, we are required by law to give our children a white first name, although they allow us to use our tribal names as surnames," he paused, waiting while Sully nodded.

Glancing at his wife, who smiled in encouragement, he continued, "We would like to ask if...you would mind if we named our daughter Elizabeth, in honor of our three nieces...to tie our families together..."

Sully glanced at Michaela, and seeing she had a smile that matched the wattage of his own, he nodded with a pleased laugh, "We would be honored, Cloud Dancin'."

"Oh Snowbird, I love the idea that our daughters will share the same name!" Michaela added, grinning at her best friend's image. Hannah and Colleen echoed the sentiments.

"What a wonderful idea!" Dorothy joined in.

"Yeah, I like that," Loren added his two cents with a chuckle.

"Well, no one asked me what _I_ thought," Elizabeth groused after a few moments, as all eyes turned to her. Teasingly, she grinned at their expressions and confessed, "I think it is a wonderful idea...I'm a little partial to the name, myself," she added in jest, causing everyone to burst out laughing, the two babies fussing softly at the loud disturbance.

Rebecca leaned over and kissed her mother's cheek as Loren and Dorothy chuckled.

"Hey Snow Dancing – welcome to the family!" Sully called to his Cheyenne niece as the baby yawned and stretched and sparked another round of cooing from her extended relatives.

Just then, the house phone rang and Sully went across to their room to answer it as the family continued to talk to their Indian friends.

"Hello?" he answered.

"I hear congratulations are in order," Jake's voice sounded from the handset.

Sully laughed delightedly. "And I hear the same for you. Did Teresa have the baby?"

"Yep. A strappin' boy, ten pounds three ounces," the proud father replied. "Last night, about three minutes to midnight," he added with a laugh.

"Oh man, that's wild. Michaela and Snowbird delivered yesterday too – and all of them due on different days," Sully murmured, shaking his head.

"What'd you guys have?" Jake asked, nodding to his wife as she tried to get his attention and show him something.

"A girl. We named her Katherine Elizabeth. What'd you name your boy?"

Jake laughed and cleared his throat. "His name is Charles Jacob Morales Slicker. You know, South of the border, they like to have four names...and use the wife's maiden name," he clarified.

"I like it. It's distinguished," Sully complimented. "What are you gonna call 'im?"

"Well...Charlie when he's good, and Charles Jacob when he's not," Jake snickered.

In the background, Sully could hear Teresa sound off with a smattering of Spanish and he laughed, knowing Jake had once again gotten himself in hot water with his feisty wife. She was protesting his use of the name 'Charlie'.

Getting back to his conversation, Jake asked, "So, did Cloud Dancin' and Snowbird have their boy?"

Sully laughed again. "Nope. Ultrasound was wrong. They had a girl, too. They named her Snow Dancing."

Jake laughed delightedly. "I like that, a play on their names."

"And her legal name will be Elizabeth Clouddancing."

"That's real pretty. Well, okay, I better get off here, just wanted to touch base with ya, since I heard you'd flown the coop or somethin' yesterday..." Jake hinted, hoping for juicy details.

Sully chuckled. "I'll tell ya about that later."

"Okay man. Tell Michaela I said congratulations and Teresa sends her love."

"Will do."

After Sully returned the phone to its cradle, he crossed to the other room and made the announcement of the Slicker's blessing.

"Well I will say one thing...yesterday was truly a very productive day," Elizabeth chuckled as the others laughed in delight.

OOOOOOOO

"Thank you, William," Michaela answered her friend's congratulations as she talked with him on the phone, smiling as Ingrid held Katie in her arms, exchanging surreptitious glances with Matthew. The pleased mother thought to herself that someday she hoped to watch this same scene as the lovely young blond held her own – and Matthew's – baby in her arms. She couldn't imagine a better wife for her son.

"And how are Connie and Brittany?"

"They're fine, couldn't be better," William beamed proudly, glancing over to where his wife sat nursing their nearly three month old bundle of joy. She glanced up at him and smiled when she heard his words.

They spent the next few minutes talking about a variety of subjects besides the babies, including the rising price of gasoline, as well as William's continued fight with the FDA to get his migraine remedy approved.

Finally as the conversation paused, William said, "Um, Michaela, I heard something today...just a little while ago matter of fact...on the news."

"My goodness, William, it sounds serious," Michaela chuckled, smiling at Sully as he carefully took the baby from Ingrid for some father/daughter cuddles.

"Well, it is...it's about David."

Michaela's eyes grew large and she swallowed dryly, not having thought about her ex-husband for quite some time – truly not since she had left her handprint on his face at the Christmas gala. She didn't particularly want to think about him now and spoil her mood of total contentment and happiness.

"David?" she asked softly, causing Sully to turn and look at her, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes...it seems that he has been arrested and is being held over for trial on embezzlement and fraud charges. He was caught red handed. The newscast said investigators have been closely watching him for months, waiting to spring the trap, and they're pretty sure they can win a conviction against him. If they do..." he paused, "he could get up to five years in state prison for each count."

Michaela shut her eyes and shook her head, in truth totally disgusted. It seemed her ex did nothing but keep spiraling lower and lower. _Perhaps this will be what it takes to finally teach him a lesson and he'll change his ways..._ she mused hopefully. Opening her eyes again, they rested on her wonderful husband as he affectionately cradled their baby...her handsome, loving, nearly perfect husband. Once again, she thanked God for putting Sully in her life.

"I thought you'd want to know," William added uncomfortably as Michaela remained silent on the other end of the line.

"Oh yes, thank you, William," she quickly recovered. "I'll...I'll pray for him," she managed, not knowing anything else to say – and it was the truth.

"He'll need it," William responded, though privately he figured David was only getting what was coming to him, with all of the misery the man had inflicted on others during most of his adult life.

After a few more minutes, the long time friends bid each other goodbye and Michaela hung up, relating the news to her husband, mother and sister – none of whom were the least bit shocked. Elizabeth especially had some choice words to say about her one time son-in-law.

"That reminds me," Sully murmured, bending to place his sleeping daughter into Michaela's reaching arms. "I heard a piece of info the other day, and darned if it didn't give me a chuckle.

"What was that, Sully?" Rebecca asked as she leaned close to her sister to view the sweet face of her newborn niece.

"Seems Preston Lodge bought up some more land near Denver. Then when the market tanked again a few months ago, he lost it, because the loans he had used were real high interest and they called 'em all in. Now..." he paused, his eyes meeting his wife's with a twinkle. "Now, he's a real estate agent with a small firm in Denver and barely makin' ends meet."

"Who told you all of this?" Michaela asked, remembering the run-ins they had had with the unscrupulous developer wannabe and the miraculous circumstances that led to his snap decision to allow them to purchase Sully's family's land from him.

"Our friend 'Lucky Jack'," Sully returned with a grin. "He called me 'cause he'd come across a pristine, still corked bottle of 'Kickapoo Indian Sagwa', circa 1868, he's sure woulda come from Doc Eli's Travelin' Medicine Show that we read about in Michaela's journal. He thought we'd like to have it."

Michaela chuckled and shook her head. "Perhaps it would be better if it were included in the glassed-in case at Loren's showcasing the items from the memorabilia chest."

"Yeah, true," Sully chuckled in reply.

OOOOOOO

Later that evening, Sully carefully removed a fussing Katie from her bassinette in the master bedroom and lovingly laid her in her mother's arms.

As she made herself comfortable to feed her daughter, her breasts now quite gorged with milk, Michaela chuckled softly, regarding her husband with a raised eyebrow.

"You should be glad your bout with Couvade Syndrome didn't last long. What I'm feeling right now is not all that pleasant...and I don't think you would have enjoyed sharing my labor pains either," she added with a twinkle.

Sully smiled at her knowingly and then pursed his lips, clearing his throat in a little bit of embarrassment as he rifled one hand back through his hair.

"_What_?" she asked as she glanced at him after settling their daughter in place for her feeding.

"Well, to tell ya the truth...I did kinda feel pains..." he admitted with a sheepish grin.

"You _did_? When?"

"It was before I knew you were in labor. Me and the boys were out at the campsite and my stomach started hurtin'. I couldn't figure out why...thought I'd eaten somethin' bad...then when they got worse, and I started feelin' kinda _scared_, I knew it was _you_. That's when I started lookin' for my phone."

"And _why_ was it in the truck?" she asked, not having understood the reasoning when he mentioned it before.

"I'd given it to Brian to give him somethin' to do, to be the official phone watcher for when and if you called. But he'd put it in his pocket and it slipped out. With the doors and windows shut, we didn't hear it ring even once," he added, shaking his head at the silliness of it all.

"But...you didn't feel pain when you were with me during the birth, did you?" she questioned, realizing she had not put much thought into what her husband or sister were feeling during the painful hours – except when she had nearly plucked his chest bare.

"Um...maybe a little," he admitted as he watched his wife and daughter interact. "But mostly, my _heart_ hurt havin' to watch you go through such torture...especially since I couldn't seem to do anything to help you..."

She looked up at him, her eyes growing misty at his admission.

"Oh Sully..." she whispered, pausing as their eyes met in silent, loving communication. "But you did help, more than you realize. You gave me the strength to keep going, to keep trying or pushing when I was sure I couldn't go on...your love and presence kept me grounded."

He smiled softly as his eyes drank in every detail of her face.

"One thing is sure..." she murmured seriously.

"What's that?"

"When we have another, I won't want to go through one minute of it without _you_," she added sweetly, prompting one of his dimpled smiles as his heart overflowed with love for his precious wife.

"You won't – I promise. I'll stick to ya like glue, no matter if you tell me ta get lost or not," he added cheekily, prompting an embarrassed chuckle from his wife.

After a few moments of listening to the sweet sounds of their new daughter drinking in the life sustaining liquid, her tiny lips softly slurping now and then if she broke suction, Sully leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his wife's temple as he reclined next to them in the bed.

"You realize it's just a few days till our anniversary?" he whispered softly, not wishing to disturb the sweet atmosphere.

"Yes, so it is..." Michaela replied, one hand administering feather light caresses to their baby's velvety smooth arm as she turned her head to meet his gaze.

"So...what'dya want to do to celebrate?" he murmured, his eyes caressing her face.

"Truthfully?" she murmured, prompting him to give a small nod of encouragement. "I don't need anything at all...this precious little one is our anniversary gift to each other, wouldn't you say?"

He smiled adoringly, leaning to press a soft kiss to her lips. "Yeah, true," he whispered against her mouth.

Then simultaneously they each whispered, "Happy Anniversary!" prompting soft, deliriously happy chuckles.

When they quieted again, Sully took one of her hands and raised it reverently to his lips. "Né-méhotatséme, mé'oo'o," he whispered softly.

Her breath caught as it always did when he spoke to her in Cheyenne, and she leaned to give him another kiss. "Né-méhotatséme," she returned. "I love you too, my sweetheart."

"A'eneto mé'êstse," he vowed lovingly.

_Always and forever. _She smiled, her eyes twinkling, knowing he would be surprised she had understood that. Often, he would whisper 'sweet nothings' to her in Cheyenne, not really expecting her to understand. It was just a way he used to express his feelings. Sometimes she requested translation, sometimes not. But she had been taking lessons from Snowbird on the sly.

Now, with the hand he was holding near his mouth, her thumb caressed the full, kissable bottom lip as she whispered, "A'eneto mé'êstse, naéhame... _pâhoeše_."

Pleased, his eyes twinkled happily as she pronounced him her husband and her lover.

Leaning closer, but careful not to disturb the baby, he whispered, "You never cease to amaze me. My _hësta-noo'ôtse._ My heartsong."

With a dreamy smile, she vowed again, "A'eneto mé'êstse."

OOOOOOOO

"The diaper's changed," Elizabeth announced, carrying the baby onto the front porch where the family had settled after dinner the next afternoon. "Now my Granddaughter can sleep in comfort."

As she sat in the swing next to her husband, Michaela smilingly took her baby into her arms, wrapped in the white blanket her mother had lovingly knitted. "Sleep well, Katie," the doting mother cooed as Sully dotingly laid a hand against the baby's side.

"What she needs now is a lullaby. It always worked with you girls," the grandmother grinned, exchanging smiles with Michaela and her sister, who was lounging comfortably in a chair nearby.

"Can I play her somethin' on my flute?" Brian asked, referring to the flute they had found in the stash in the floor of the boys' room.

At his parent's surprised look, the little boy smiled shyly and admitted, "Matthew found a website that had Indian flute songs, and we found one that was Cheyenne. I been practicin' it for when the baby got here..."

"Oh Brian," Michaela breathed, her eyes meeting Sully's, both sets immediately filling at the unexpected thoughtfulness of their son.

"Wow, Brian, that's so cool..." Colleen complimented, echoed by Hannah as they exchanged surprised and pleased grins.

Matthew reached out and ruffled Brian's blond hair. "He's gotten pretty good on it, too. He wanted to surprise you guys."

"Sure Brian," Sully managed to answer, as Brian took the tiny, antique wooden flute from his pocket and put it to his lips, producing a smooth, soothing melody. The parents' wouldn't have been too surprised to know that it was the same tune the original Brian had played for his baby sister over one hundred forty years before - just another of the astounding coincidences between the generations of this amazing family.

"So many changes," Elizabeth sighed softly, unknowingly echoing her namesake of bygone days, as the soft sweet music flowed over the grass and trees of the beautiful homestead and grounds, a soothing spring breeze softly blowing.

Each one felt happiness and contentment bubble inside them as they sat back and listened with relaxed sighs, occasionally glancing at the baby sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms, her father gazing adoringly at them both.

The joy they had all anticipated had arrived – never to fade or leave. Matter of fact, it would only grow and get stronger with time.

They were blessed, indeed.


	35. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

_Six years later..._

Michaela stood at her vanity mirror, alternating two swimsuits in front of her as she tried to decide which one to wear. _Come on Michaela...don't give in to this...think only good thoughts, not sad..._ she mused, a tiny smile gracing her lips as she imagined her husband's gently admonishing voice.

"If you ask me, I'd say neither one," his smooth deep voice interrupted her thoughts, surprising her, as she hadn't heard him come in downstairs, and thought he was still over at their lake paradise preparing for the celebration. They were expecting quite a crowd of family, extended family, and friends. Their daughters had graduated from high school and would soon go away to college.

With both suits clutched to her bare chest, she met his amused gaze in the mirror as he leaned against the doorway of their bedroom, eyeing her rather hungrily. She tried to ignore the fact that he was only wearing a pair of swimming trunks and flip-flops – and that his eyes contained that familiar naughty twinkle as he perused his wife's naked back, barely covered by her long silky tresses.

"Really? You don't like either one?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah. I like ya better naked," he quipped with a twinkle, a chuckle escaping at her look of exasperation.

"Byron Frederick, I can hardly attend our daughters' graduation party in my birthday suit!" she fussed, glaring at him through the mirror.

Assessing her figure as she turned side to side, she pressed her stomach flat with one hand, sighing softly. _Babies surely do not help a woman's figure..._ she mused.

"Sully...do you think I'm..." she paused, pressing her lips together and sighing.

By this time, he had silently approached, slipping his arms around her from behind as he dipped his head to nuzzle her neck.

"I think you're beautiful," he whispered, his lips grazing sensitive spots he knew gave her delicious tingles.

Turning her in his arms, he locked his hands around her small waist as he leaned back a little, his gaze caressing her features, so loved and familiar...the breathtaking eyes...the still lovely hair with only a tiny hint of silver here and there, hardly noticeable...the peaches and cream smoothness of her face...the luscious mouth...

"You're still the most gorgeous, wonderful, _fetchin'_ woman I've ever seen...and I'll always find you as beautiful as I did the first time I saw you," he murmured in that quiet, sensual way of his, sending those irresistible tingles zipping through her core. She had to work to resist his magnetic pull.

Just past his head, her peripheral vision spied the clinic's kitchen's skillet hanging in its place of honor on the wall by their fireplace, where she had hung it mere months after Katie was born. Mounted within were their cute wedding cake topper, and a picture of the two of them kissing at their reception, serving to forever remind them of their all-consuming first meeting.

Bringing her eyes back to his, she murmured coquettishly, "You know, I've always meant to ask you about that..."

"What's that," he whispered as his eyes twinkled merrily, leaning in for a soft kiss.

"The first time you saw me, I'd been driving practically all night, my hair must have looked like a limp dishrag, I had cried most of my makeup off, my clothes were disheveled, and if I remember right, I had even spilled mustard on my shirt...how could you have _possibly_ thought I looked beautiful?" she asked her husband with that half smile and one eyebrow raised in that fetching way that always made him want to grab her and kiss her senseless.

Sully smiled that slow, sensuous grin that never failed to ignite her most secret passions.

Then bringing a hand around to her face and touching it with his fingertips, he whispered, "I didn't see none 'a that. All I saw was those beautiful, two-tone eyes starin' up at me, lookin' startled...gorgeous long brown hair that made me wanna run my fingers through it...and clothes that hinted at a perfect figure bein' hid underneath..." he paused as she drew her lip between her teeth, mesmerized by his words and as always, the sparkling azure blue of his eyes. "And I saw somethin' else...I saw my future...I saw my love...I saw the song of my heart...as you stood there with a skillet raised over my head..." he added with a dimpled grin.

She beamed up at him, love sparkling in her eyes as she quipped softly, "I'm so glad you have such quick reflexes..."

"Me too," he whispered, honing in on his wife's succulent lips he knew he would never get enough of if they lived to be a hundred.

Michaela surrendered to her husband's ministrations, luxuriating in his taste, touch, scent, and warmth. He had always been impossible to resist, not that she ever wanted to...

All thoughts of swim suits and graduation parties took a back seat for a few minutes as the seasoned lovers came together once again in mind-blowing passion, alone in the house, and hidden away behind the closed door of their cozy, private paradise.

Soft sounds of the brush of hands and bodies moving and caressing, breathless sighs and quiet moans, and lips meshing repeatedly, replaced their whispered conversation as they once again gave in to their irresistible attraction.

OOOOOO

Thirty minutes later, completely sated and resting in each other's arms on their bed, each was grateful for the breeze from the open window cooling passion's moisture from their skin.

"Sully..." Michaela whispered after a few languid minutes, gazing at the sparkling rings on her left hand as her fingers softly roamed through the ample hair on his chest. It had grown back even thicker after he had shaved it - in teasing precaution - just prior to the birth of their second child. The incident during Katie's birth had become a familiar private joke between the loving couple.

"Hmm?" he answered dreamily, still basking in the glow of their lovemaking and musing about the fact that he was an awesomely lucky and blessed man.

"Why is it that every time we make love, it's as wonderful as our first time on our wedding night?" his sweet wife whispered.

Sully smiled, his eyes twinkling as he hugged her even closer and softly pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Comes from bein' so deep in love, I guess..."

Drawing in a deep breath, his hands gently caressed her smooth shoulder as he tried to articulate his thoughts.

"With me and you...it's never been just sex. Sex you can find anywhere, but that kind is just empty...leaves you cold. What we got, 'Chaela..." he paused, shifting in place so he could look into her eyes, which were misty and still dreamy from their lovemaking. "What we got is so much more than that...it's true, deep, abidin' love that ain't ever gonna fade."

He smiled into her eyes lovingly. "There ain't been a day gone by since we first said, 'I love you,' that I haven't thanked God for bringin' you into my life. I love you so much," he whispered softly.

"Oh Sully, and I love _you_ – more and more every day that we are together. And I thank God every day for you, also..." she added softly, her eyes burning with sweet tears.

The lovers leaned in for a warm, soft kiss that sealed their vows of affection, each one misty-eyed from the force of emotion sweeping through them. Afterward, they snuggled together, just enjoying their closeness.

After awhile, Michaela sighed softly. Sully, ever attuned to her moods, whispered, "It's okay, you know...Denver ain't so far."

Michaela chuckled softly and gently shook her head. "How do you always know what I'm thinking?" she purred, squeezing him tighter.

"That's easy, cause I _know_ ya. Inside and out," he added cheekily.

She chuckled softly at his risqué remark, murmuring, "You certainly do."

Then waxing serious again, she mused, "I just...I can't believe our little girls are going off to college in Denver. It seems like just yesterday that they were enamored with Hannah Montana and I was quizzing them on their spelling bees. Now...they're young women, beautiful, accomplished, confident...and going out into the world...away from us, away from our protection..."

"Hey," he whispered, gently catching her hand that had risen to dab at eyes that had suddenly filled. "Colleen and Hannah are good kids. You know that. They both have common sense and good morals. We've raised 'em the best we could...we gotta trust that they'll make good decisions on their own. And besides," he reminded his wife, "They're gonna be lookin' after each other, and livin' off campus in an apartment, so there won't be none of that sorority junk to worry about."

"Yes, I'm very thankful for that."

"They'll come home for holidays and stuff, and weekends now and then..."

"Yes, that's true. Oh Sully, I'm so proud of them...Colleen wanting to be a nurse midwife and work with Stacy at the Birthing Center..." she mused, picturing their lovely blonde haired, brown eyed daughter, so studious and yet outgoing and fun.

"And Hannah wanting to be a veterinarian," she added, picturing the breathtaking beauty with her long, honey brown hair and vibrant 'Sully' blue eyes, so very astute, quick-witted, and kind hearted. Everyone who knew her couldn't help but like her. "I love the idea of someday adding on to the clinic and having both of our practices side by side..."

"Yeah...I always kinda figured they'd both enter the medical field," he commented, knowing their daughters very much idolized their doctor mother.

The girls were both lovely and graceful, and many suitors had knocked on the door of the homestead to take one or the other of them out on the town. Sully had kept an intimidating eye closely on any boy who came to call, and any they dated knew they had better not disrespect a Sully girl or there would be 'heck' to pay. Most dates had ended up doubles with each other, much to their protective father's relief. The parents often chuckled that the girls had taken the Reverend's advice seriously and always carried a Bible on dates – placing it on the seat between themselves and the boy they were with. As Rev. Tim always said, 'Most guys won't crawl over Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to get to the girl.'

"Amazing isn't it? The changes that have taken place since I decided to move here and restart our lives?" Michaela mused softly.

Sully smiled, thinking back over the years.

"Brian a teenager now," he mused. "I still remember how little he was that first day, hidin' behind ya. Now he's an intelligent, carin' big brother."

"And plans on being a writer someday," Michaela added with pride. Her husband nodded with not a little pride himself.

"And Katie...our little minx," Sully murmured, picturing the precocious six-year-old who was the apple of her father's eye. Her blonde hair had slowly darkened to a rich brown, with a wavy texture much like his own, not silky straight like her mother's. He chuckled as he thought about the fact that he had to keep a tight rein on himself, because she knew just how to charm him with those big brown eyes. He had the tendency to give her anything she asked just like he did her mother, and Michaela quite often had to run interference. He couldn't help it – she already had her mother's mannerisms down pat – the raised eyebrow, one hand on a hip, the half smile...

"Yes, our sweet daughter," she smiled, picturing their firstborn. Katie was the darling of Sully's Junction and had her Grandpa Loren wrapped around her little finger. Sully knew Loren truly loved her as much as he did Hannah, his blood grandchild. However, as he and Dorothy doted on all of the grandkids, none felt slighted. Michaela had fussed at him many times for sneaking the children, especially Katie, candy and other treats when they visited the store.

"And, oh Sully...our Robert Josef...our little RJ," Michaela mused, closing her eyes as she pictured their small son.

She thought for a moment about their son's birth, that thankfully nothing momentous had happened during the pregnancy, and true to Sully's word, he stuck to her like glue the last few weeks, witnessing when she went into labor and lovingly transporting her to the birthing center. That time, however, they were more prepared, and RJ was a smaller baby. An easy two hours of labor in the warm water and their baby boy slid into the world and into his loving father's strong, sure hands.

"It never fails to amaze me how much he resembles you...just as I had hoped and dreamed. Your blue eyes, your wavy brown hair, your dazzling smile that melts my heart, the dimples, the strong chin..." she mused softly, picturing their youngest as she held his sire in her arms.

Sully grinned at her compliments. "Yeah, but I'm glad he didn't get my bowed legs," he chuckled softly. "And he's got _your_ ears," he added, nuzzling one of her ears and making her giggle. "He sure is a fearless four year old..." his father mused with a shake of his head, thinking of the broken leg, arm, and fingers they had already dealt with, but none of them had even slowed him down.

Big brother Brian had given his little brother his prized toy tomahawk for his birthday, and at only four, RJ already had shown the knack for perfect aim. No surprise.

"And the wonderful tradition of best friends, begun by the original Sully and Cloud Dancing, is living on in our children. I'm so glad that they had their boy, even if it did mean we didn't get to see them that year because of the due dates coinciding with the holiday seasons," Michaela murmured.

"Yeah, I keep wonderin' how much more our lives will parallel the journal..." Sully mused, thinking about how Walks on Clouds and RJ – or 'Little White Wolf' as he was called at the reservation - were already brothers and best friends, even at their young age. When the boys got together, they were inseparable. "The baton really has been passed, or at least shared with, the next generation," he added in wonder.

"And Katie and Snow Dancing are sisters and best friends. Thank goodness that they can talk any time they wish on the webcam in Katie's room, since they miss each other so much when they have to be apart."

"Yeah," Sully agreed, remembering his sweet Katie missing her best friend, and crying nearly the whole way home from the reservation when she was three. "Who woulda thought six years ago that flat screen monitors would get so affordable? And it was a great idea you had, to put that one near the door in the living room, and the camera can pan to follow movement. Now we never have to feel far from Cloud Dancin's family at all, seein's how they got the same set up," Sully mentioned, marveling at the miracles of technology as he pictured how, at times, the two families would leave the connection on while having dinner and it made it seem like they were in the same house together.

Continuing on with their reminiscing, Michaela mused, "And oh Sully...our oldest already married a year and expecting. It hardly seems possible when I think about him as the sullen fourteen year old he was when we first came here."

"Mmm hmm, and I couldn't be prouder of him, the way he turned out," her husband readily agreed.

"You, my husband, had a great deal to do with that," Michaela immediately returned, causing Sully to flash a pleased grin her way, dipping his head as he murmured, "Thank you."

The proud parents were silent for a few moments as they each thought about their son Matthew and his wife Ingrid...how they had chosen to fix up the little cabin where they had first fallen in love the day of the big storm when they were sixteen, and added on several rooms using logs of the nearby trees. That had been a wonderful family project.

Matthew had graduated from college with degrees in Business and Agriculture, and had already helped his father implement new ventures on the ranch. He had convinced him to set aside 500 acres as a farming enterprise, which was already proving profitable by successfully selling produce to local restaurants. Plus they had expanded their riding business to ten horses (foals of Prince and Flash, Vekay and Maggie, and Prince and Molly), providing mounts for many events in the city and surrounding towns for a fee. Two years before, they had added an old-fashioned carriage service that was quite booming in the warm months for weddings and proms.

"It boggles the mind to think about all of the changes in our lives..." Michaela mused. The couple allowed their minds drift to other members of their family and friends.

Michaela thought about Wolf, who was now twelve years old, slightly frail and pretty much a stay at home dog, but well loved and cared for by his 'pack'. The elderly malamute now spent many hours sleeping or laying by the fireplace, watching the comings and goings of his human family. Keeso had become the family's watchdog and faithful friend who went everywhere on the land with his human pack. That baton, also, had been successfully passed.

Sully smiled as he thought about Loren and Dorothy just celebrating six years of very happy marriage. Loren had told Sully he never knew life could be so good. Sully's former father-in-law had expanded the store a bit and Dorothy, having abandoned the wedding planning venture, was now a writer with three books published – one an updated version of the original Dorothy's "Our Town" (only she asked the people's permission in advance) in which she told different stories like Sully and Harv, and Michaela and Sully's amazing connection to their ancestors.

Michaela's mind drifted to her sister Rebecca and brother-in-law Robert. They had gone into mission work, often taking trips to third world countries where Rebecca used her nurse/midwife skills (acquired after she had gone back to college following Katie's birth and her subsequent friendship with Stacy) to help the locals, while Robert helped out with reorganization of the local economy to help get them on their feet.

Sully drew in a relaxed sigh as his thoughts drifted to his mother-in-law, Elizabeth, who still made regular trips to Colorado Springs. He was glad that all tension had evaporated from Michaela's relationship with her mother, and now the family always eagerly awaited Grandma Quinn's arrival - the larger bedroom above the clinic had been affectionately named "Grandma's Room." Many in the small community regarded her as a friend.

"Harv Miller...now a pillar of the community with a thriving home maintenance business," Michaela mused as her thoughts extended to beyond their immediate family and the changes six years had brought. "It's hard to remember how things used to be between you two."

Sully immediately agreed, "Yeah, until _you_ came on the scene. I never dreamed in a million years that me and Harv would ever be friends."

"What did _I_ do?" Michaela queried softly, leaning back a bit to look in his eyes.

"You made me believe that God could change things...so I started _prayin'_ about it instead of just _complainin'_...and He sure did." Harv and Sully remained good friends and the families often had cookouts and celebrated holidays together. "We still laugh about our night together in the junk yard and how _God_ locked those gates and loosed those dogs," he added with a chuckle.

Michaela grinned as she remembered that night, the worry and uncertainty that had melted totally away in the light of day after her missing husband had returned. Her thoughts moved on to Harv's son, Jared, who had been a troubled teen before working with them at the ranch to help pay off his debts. He now worked as the day-to-day overseer of their farming venture, and had married Rosie, his girlfriend of five years. The two lived in a small, but nice house near the farm acreage, built by Sully, Matthew, Jared, and Harv.

"So much has happened in the lives of our friends over the last six years..." Michaela mused.

"Yeah...like Grace and Robert E.," Sully murmured. Their friends had been surprised and blessed with another baby - a girl they named Roberta, whom they called Bobbie. Grace had expanded her café with another location in Manitou, run by their oldest daughter, April. Robert E.'s business was also quite prosperous.

"Daniel and Sarah..." Michaela added. The couple had finally conceived and was blessed with a boy, whom they named Daniel Jr., and Sarah was expecting again. The two families weren't able to see each other often, but made up for it on the occasions when they could. That day would be one of them, as they, of course, wouldn't miss celebrating their friends' daughters' milestone.

"Mmm hmm. Jake and Teresa..." Sully grinned. They had been blessed with little Charles Jacob, and a year later a little beauty they named Isabella. Both the children had Jake's blue eyes and Teresa's silky black hair and hot temper. Isabella had Jake wrapped around her finger, of course.

" Oh, the Reverend and Anna..." Michaela contributed as Sully nodded. The preacher and his lady friend did marry, and Sarah was now a very happy fourteen-year-old who doted on her two younger brothers, Timothy Jr. and Tommy. The Reverend and the men of the church expanded the church's facility several years previous, plus helped with the construction of a nice parsonage nearby (on land donated by Sully), just in time for the arrival of the couple's youngest son. A large donation from Elizabeth had provided the funds for the building project.

"Horace and Myra..." Sully chuckled, thinking about their friends and their three children, a beautiful red haired daughter named Samantha, plus twins Horace Jr., and Harold. "Good thing the kids took after their mother and not their daddy," he snorted.

"Sully!" Michaela fussed, but clamped her lips together as she tried not to smile in agreement.

Hugging her against his side, Sully continued, "William's migraine cure receiving FDA approval has made 'im a very wealthy man. He deserved that award the medical association gave him, not to mention the gratitude of migraine sufferers everywhere – me included."

"Indeed. What a blessing that is," Michaela nodded as she tipped her head back to press a soft kiss to his lips.

"Let's see..." she mused, moving on with their reminiscing. "Allen Clawfoot and his wife, Soft Rain, married seven years with six wonderful children."

"Yeah," Sully nodded, still amazed by the work God had done in the life of his former nemesis. "And none of 'em have any idea what their father used to be like before – when he was an alcoholic, a miserable man with no future, spewin' unforgiveness and hate."

"Yes! And now he is one of the leading citizens on the reservation and is even on the council. Their family is considered pillars of the community and they are very active in the thriving church on Highway 39. Isn't God amazing?" Michaela sighed, shaking her head in wonder as they both spent a few moments thinking about the amazing difference in their Indian friend.

Cloud Dancing had told them that Clawfoot often spoke of the 'legend' of the beautiful vé'ho'á'e doctor who taught him the meaning of forgiveness, and risked life and limb to protect him from further injury that could have resulted in him being paralyzed when he was thrown from his rodeo horse. Each year when the Sullys visited Cloud Dancing and Snowbird at the reservation, either Allen or his wife, or even his mother, presented Michaela with a gift of some sort, which she always graciously accepted. The three families had remained close.

Thinking about another acquaintance their friend Sarah had mentioned on the phone the day before, Michaela cast a teasing glance at her husband.

"Catherine and Red married five years and blessed with triplets. That made for a large happy family with his son Mike and daughter Julia. I'm sure they keep her busy..."

Sully snorted softly and shook his head, returning his wife's teasing grin. Over the years, the 'Catherine incident', as they had come to regard it, had become a source of amusement and teasing between the loving couple. In truth, they knew that Catherine had never looked back in regret over marrying Red, and often thought about and was even thankful for the camping trip where she met her true love as she let go of a hopeless, unrequited infatuation.

"Let's see, um...how about Jack?" Michaela reminded her husband. The Sullys had remained good friends with Jack, the proprietor of Lucky Jack's in Denver.

"Yeah. That guy sure is lucky, not to mention amazin'. Where does he find such stuff?" Sully mused softly. Over the years, Jack had visited them often, practically each time he was in the area. He had made it his hobby to look for items from the 1870's for his friends in Colorado Springs, and had unearthed quite a few – the latest just a few weeks previous being the original Michaela's stethoscope with her name etched into the metal, and the original Dorothy's writing desk, proven by several sheets of notes from her book Our Town still in the back of a drawer.

"And Louise...my dear, dear friend," Michaela sighed, thinking about the wonderful woman who had become a surrogate mother to them both. What a friendship had grown from a chance meeting on a rainy night in a tiny café in Nebraska! They kept in touch with Louise and she visited yearly, and they had visited her as well. Although she had a slight stroke the year before, luckily she had been with _them_ when it had happened and Michaela had recognized the signs, providing the right care in those first few minutes that means all the difference in stroke recovery. And she did recover, fully. Though her doctor in Nebraska advised her to give up her job in the diner. She then began volunteering as a 'Grandma Reader' in a school near her home.

"I never thought I would be blessed with so many wonderful friends and family...and a love about which novels could be written," Michaela whispered, her husband silently agreeing as he leaned in for one more kiss.

And finally - Sully's junction itself had grown into a thriving community – a happy, healthy, blessed place to live and raise a family. Each day brought with it much anticipation of joy – old and new!

Wanna move there? ;) I sure do!

**~~~The End~~~**

**...**

_Author's Note: _

_I hope you enjoyed my modern trilogy of our favorite loving couple, Michaela and Sully, and all of their friends and family. Thank you, Beth Sullivan, for your wonderful and engaging characters you created all those years ago. I hope I did them honor._

_The three stories have taken 2 ½ years to complete. At times it was a grueling experience, and could not have been finished without the help of some special people, Leanne, Shannon, and Kate, and the affectionate encouragement of Sandi, Sheena, and Adriana. Thank you sweet ladies! Also, I want to thank my husband, Steve, for his input, ideas, perspective, inspiration, patience, and love. If anyone wonders – my Sully is a combination of the original Sully, Jake Harrison, Joe Lando himself, and my own hubby. _

_Over the course of months as the chapters went up, I heard from many wonderful people all over the world, telling me how my story or my writing blessed them or affected their lives for the good. This was music to my ears. One dear lady let me know that how I portrayed Michaela and Sully's relationship in my stories had helped her in her own relationship with her husband, and that really blessed me to hear. _

_To all my regular reviewers, on the forum and on ff – thank you! Your encouragement, enthusiasm, and faithfulness to the story was what kept me going so that I was able to finish, and not stall and peter out before the task was completed. I love ya! _

_If you enjoyed these stories, I humbly ask that you let me know. You would make this author a very happy camper, indeed. _

_God bless you all!_

_-Linda_

_I accept anonymous messages if you would prefer not to register for an account on ff. _


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